The Secret
by Kiddo
Summary: AU that plays in the first season, the main character will be Lucas. Everthing else is a ...secret STORY FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

THE SECRET  
  
Chapter 1  
  
By Kiddo  
  
In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
I don't have any rights to the TV shows "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" (being on my Christmas wish-list and birthday wish-list hasn't changed anything about this), and I am not making any money with this story.  
  
"The Secret" takes place with the crew of the first season; this is an AU and therefore I have changed a few things. This story is a translation of one of my german storys.  
  
The books "BACK-UP" by Thomas Feibel and "Sleepy Simon" by Frank Stieper inspired me to begin this story. Everything else is out of my crazy imagination.  
  
I know that the first two chapters of this story don't look too interesting, but nevertheless, please read them. They will become important for later chapters.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to my wonderfull and incredible fast beta reader Jackie.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.  
  
= = = = = =  
  
"It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers . . . In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night . . . You--only you--will have stars that can laugh! It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh... My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens . . . they will all be your friends! And when your sorrow is comforted you will be content that you have known me." (Antoine De Saint- Exupéry - "The Little Prince")   
  
= = = = = =  
  
===================================================================  
  
Andy Braun, a 14-year-old boy with short hair, and Sean Richards, 15 years old, were both sitting in front a computer in Sean's room. The room was very big and even had a little bathroom next to it.  
  
Like nearly every weekend, Andy was sleeping over at the Richards' house. The two boys had gone to the same kindergarten and had met each other there; it hadn't taken long and the kids had become the best of friends. But only after a few weeks in kindergarten, it had become apparent that Andy wasn't like the other children. He was more intelligent than kids who were nearly twice as old. The first IQ-tests had shocked Andy's parents (a taxi driver and a waitress) a lot.  
  
When Andy turned 4, he started school, and now at 14, he had just finished Stanford. Luckily, Andy had gotten a scholarship; otherwise, the Brauns wouldn't have been able to pay for it. The Brauns were always short of money and were happy if they could pay the rent for their little apartment every month.  
  
Sean was going to one of the high schools in town.  
  
But even if the boys had gone to different schools, they had never lost contact with each other. And both teenagers were crazy about computers. Andy and Sean loved to sit in front of the computer for hours, surfing through the Internex or hacking into one thing or another. None of their parents were aware of the fact that the boys were hackers; they just thought that the teenagers were playing computer games. Okay, sometimes that was also true, but only when they just happened to _"find"_ a new computer game before it was released. To be a hacker had its advantages.  
  
Like every weekend, Andy had taken his laptop with him to Sean's house, and now, they were both surfing through the Internex.  
  
Around two o'clock in the morning, Sean turned to Andy. "Guess what I just read?"  
  
Andy shrugged his shoulders. "No idea."  
  
"'Sheffield & Co" has just gotten a new computer system to keep out hackers. They say that this is the best system in the world and totally new. They call it absolutely hacker-proof." The boy with the black hair smiled conspiratorially. "Interested in finding out if this is really true?" Sean knew that he would never have a chance in braking into such a sophisticated system without Andy. His friend was so much better with computers than him. Andy had a special talent.  
  
But one of the things that Sean liked the most on Andy was that the other teenager never treated Sean like he wasn't just as good; like he was something lower. Andy always gave him the feeling that they were both equals in front of the computer. But, the truth was that Sean was only helping Andy and trying to watch his back.  
  
The short-haired teenager thought a moment about Sean's question. To hack into 'Sheffield & Co" sounded like an interesting challenge. But on the other hand, he felt a little tired already. Andy's hand reached out for the Coke next to him and the boy took a big sip. The caffeine and sugar would keep him awake. "Sounds like an interesting night."  
  
==============  
  
Only three hours later, Andy's eyes sparkled in triumph as his fingers flew over the keyboard.  
  
In spite of the fact that the "Sheffield & Co" new system was called absolutelly hacker-safe, it had been pretty easy. He and Sean had been the first who had gotten through the firewall of "Sheffield & Co". They had won against a so-called safe, anti-hacker system. The fact that they had just committed a criminal offence with their hack was ignored by both.  
  
Both teenagers looked around in the computer system for a little bit. After some time, Sean looked up and glanced at Andy. "And what do we do now? Shall we leave a little message in their system and tell them how great their system really is? Or should we just leave altogether?"  
  
Andy Braun shut his burning eyes for a moment. Then, he took a sip from his second nearly empty Coke. "I want to look around their data set a little longer. After that, we can decide what we will do."  
  
Sean nodded. "Okay."  
  
Andy looked over the different names of the data sets. Suddenly he stopped. Their was one data set which only had a few letters and numbers as a name; all the others had normal names which explained what was in which data set. The blond teenager hesitated for a moment. Then, he opened the data sed by double clicking.  
  
After reading the first few lines, his breath stopped short. He looked at the monitor as if he was hypnotized. "Sean, I think you should take a look at this." There was a tremor in his voice.  
  
Sean looked confusedly at the year younger boy. "Why? What's going on?"  
  
"You have to see this for yourself."  
  
The dark-haired teenager stood up, walked to Andy, and looked over his shoulder at the computer screen. After reading a little bit, his breath stopped short as well. "Oh my god, this is... they can't..."  
  
"Oh believe me they can. You see that they are doing this." Andy felt like screaming. How could someone do such a thing?  
  
Both were silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. After some time, Andy took an empty disk and saved the information from the data set on it.  
  
Sean looked questionately at Andy. "What should we do now? We can't go to the police. They will arrest us because of the hack. Oh shit!" Sean sat down in his computer chair. Despair was written all over his face. "Shit, shit, shit! What should we do now?"  
  
Andy bit his upper lip. Sean was right; they had committed a crime with their hack. If they told the police what they had found on "Sheffield & Co", the police would want to know where the information had come from. But they had to go to the police. They couldn't keep this information secret just because they wanted to save themselves. "Sheffield & Co" had to be punished for what they had done. And were still doing! "We'll go to the police."  
  
Sean looked at Andy with eyes the size of saucers. "Are you crazy? They'll arrest us for our hack! I can't do that to my parents. No college will take me if I have a conviction in my record. Just because you're at loggerheads with your parents and have already finished Stanford doesn't mean there aren't consequences for me!" Sean was red in the face.  
  
Andy thought about his best friend's words. Sean was right. His parents weren't really interested in him or what he was doing. His parents, Andrea and Mike, had been very glad when he had gone to Stanford so that he wasn't always around them. His parents were always fighting. Andy expected daily that his parents would tell him that they were getting a divorce.  
  
Sean, on the other hand, had a good relationship with his parents, Mandy and Richard. Andy often envied Sean's family.  
  
Andy took a deep breath. "Okay, then I'm going to the police alone. It's no problem. You know I can't let something happen where some idiots dump their toxic waste into the ocean and get away with it. I can't let it happen; the water will become even more polluted and animals will die. I couldn't live with myself if I knew about it and didn't do anything! It doesn't matter what happens to me!"  
  
For a moment Sean looked impressed at the blond teenager's courage. The little speech had been typical for Andy; the boy always thought of others first and himself last. "Okay, you are right. We go to the police, but we go together."  
  
Andy smiled. "Really?"  
  
Sean's answer was a brief nod.  
  
"Thanks... I was really afraid that I would have to go alone."  
  
Both looked at each other for a moment. Nobody said a word. Then, they logged out of the system. But before Andy put his computer away, he also hid the information from the disk in the Internex. He wanted to be absolutely certain that the information wouldn't get lost.  
  
===========================  
  
To Be Continued ...  
  
Written Summer 2003 / Translated Summer 2004  
  
===================================================================  
  
The message about Jonathan Brandis' death shocked and surprised me a lot. He had been my absolute favourite actor for years, and he will be forever. I still have his posters on my walls, even if I should past that age.  
  
I have never met him personally, but nevertheless, he holds a special place in my heart. The moment he became my favourite actor and the moment I heard of his death will always stay in my memory.  
  
His death makes me very sad and thoughtful. You really have to feel awful when you think that suicide is the only way out. My sympathy is with his parents, family, friends, and fans.  
  
I will never forget you and I can only hope that you have found peace in death. I miss you!  
  
===================================================================  
  
When I got the message about Jonathan Brandis' death, the first 13 pages were already written. I stopped writing for a month. After that, I decided to continue writing.  
  
The plot of the story had been totally mapped out in my head during the summer holidays, and I decided to write the story the way I had originally planned it. But while writing, I realised that it wasn't possible anymore. I discovered that there were a lot of unplanned scenes that made their way into the story.  
  
I personally have the feeling that in reading the story, you will notice the point where I took a break from writing. The story has gotten a different mood/spirit because of Jonathan Brandis' death. I also think that everything I wrote after the break is not as good and interesting as the first part. But, I could also be totally wrong and just hope that I haven't lost my writing ability. But nevertheless, I hope you like the story.  
  
Writing this story was, for me, a way of remembering Jonathan. I tried not to be too sad and include a few happy parts because when I think of Jonathan Brandis, I don't only have sad memories, most are beautiful, happy and show me what a fantastic actor he was. And I want to remember him with real good moments. 


	2. Chapter 2

THE SECRET

Chapter 2

By Kiddo 

_ In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032", and I am not making any money with this story.

Sorry that this chapter is such a short one, but because of the contents, it works best this way. But, all the other chapters will be longer. And in the next chapter, the seaQuest will finally appear.

A special "Thank You" goes to my beta-reader Jackie and to Teresa, Refur, sara, dolphinology, pari106, kas and Crimson Amber for Reviewing.

To Refur: Sorry about the company name.

To sara: I think I have never seen the movie "Hackers". Is it good? I can't say anything to your guess.

To dolphinologie: Sorry, but I can't answere your question.

To Crimson Amber: Of course I will continuing with another chapter.

To Teresa, pari106 and kas : Thanks!

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

===================================================================

3 weeks later

The Newscast:

"Today 'Sheffield & Co' was convicted of illegally dumping toxic waste and sewage. "Sheffield & Co" has been ordered to pay fines totalling several million dollars. Kevin Sheffield, the owner of the company, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison. The most crucial evidence was discovered by two young hackers, whose identities are being kept secret. More about this in our later program.

And now on to the weather report..."

======================

To Be Continued...

Written Summer 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	3. Chapter 3

THE SECRET

Chapter 3

By Kiddo 

_ In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A special "Thank You" goes to my beta-reader Jackie.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

===================================================================

Six months later...

Captain Bridger took his chess game out of the cabinet. After a moment, he started to set up the game. Three weeks earlier, his youngest crew member, Lucas Wolenczak, and he had started to play chess together. Each was nearly as good as the other; therefore the games could last forever and you could never guess beforehand who would win the game.

While Bridger set the game up, he thought about the 16-year old teenager. He had only known Lucas for 2 months and still couldn't really figure the boy out. Sometimes, he had the feeling that he knew the teenager quite well, and at other times, he had the feeling that he knew nothing at all.

Bridger could clearly remember that Admiral Noyce had said that Lucas had a few discipline problems and for that reason, his father, Dr. Wolenczak, had put him on the seaQuest. But in the last 2 months, Nathan hadn't really noticed any disciplinary issues. Okay, the boy had a big mouth sometimes and be really stubborn if someone wanted to drag him away from his beloved computer, but most of the time (if he wasn't counting the time Lucas spent with Lt. Krieg) he was a well-behaved and good boy.

And on the other hand, Lucas was only 16; this also meant that he was verging on the end of puberty. The teenager acted as normal as a genius could.

In all that, Bridger couldn't find a real, solid reason for Dr. Wolenczak to put his only son on a submarine. The captain was sure that there was another reason why Lucas was here on the seaQuest. There was something strange going on. Admiral Noyce had told him very cleary and seriously that the press should not know that the boy was on the seaQuest because Dr. Woleczak didn't want the public to know about it. And again, the UEO also didn't want a word spoken about Lucas and the Vocoder, the machine that allowed them to speak with Darwin, the dolphin. The Vocoder and everything about it had to stay top secret.

Nathan thought back to what the kid had done on the last couple of shore leaves. That was also a little bit weird. Lucas hadn't flown home or visited any friends. Most of the time, he had just stayed on the seaQuest, and if that hadn't been possible, he had taken a room in a hotel and barely left this room the whole time.

There was something wrong and he planned on finding out what it was. And one hour ago, he had taken the first step into that direction.

A knock at the door stopped Bridger's thoughts in their tracks. "Come in."

Lucas Wolenczak stepped into the cabin, obviously in a good mood. "Hi Captain."

====================

Captain Bridger and his resident computer genius were in the middle of the game. They had talked this and that, but now the captain veered the conversation in another direction. "Will you be going home for this shore leave?" In two days the seaQuest would get a 6-day long shore leave. They would dock not far away from Lucas' hometown where the big Wolenczak Villa was located.

The teenager looked up. "Yes."

"I've had a talk with Admiral Noyce," Nathan said as he moved his rook.

"Oh," said Lucas and followed the movement of the rook with his eyes. "And what does that have to do with my shore leave?"

Captain Bridger smiled. "The admiral told me that your father is giving a party."

Slowly, a bad feeling started to rise in Lucas. He had a premonition that that what Bridger had just said wouldn't mean something very good.

Nathan was still smiling. "After talking to Bill, I called your father. He has invited me and the senior crew to come to the party. Wasn't that nice of him?"

The teenager could only fake a silent smile and nod.

Bridger acted like he hadn't noticed it. "Now, we finally can get to know your father, and he can see the people you are working with every day."

The young genius tried to suppress his anxiety and gave the older man a smile. "Did he really invite you, or is it more accurate to say that you invited yourself and he couldn't say anything against it?"

Captain Bridger pasted a look of outrage on his face. "Oh Lucas please, how can you think somethink like that?" But Nathan had to try and hide the mischievous smile creeping through.

The teen was completely aware of the fact that he was right. Lawrence would never come up with the idea on his own to invite the captain and the senior crew of the seaQuest.

=====================

Two days later, Lucas Wolenczak was packing his bag for the shore leave. The seaQuest had docked ten minutes ago, and in half an hour, the chauffeur, Justus, would pick him up and drive him home. When the teenager thought about the party that would be held that evening, he felt sick. He just hoped that nobody from the SeaQuest would notice anything suspicious. It had to stay as a secret.

=====================

To Be Continued...

Written October 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	4. Chapter 4

THE SECRET

Chapter 4

By Kiddo 

_ In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A special thanks goes to my beta-reader Jackie and Crimson Amber, KatKnits00, kas7 and dolphinology for your kind and wonderfull reviews.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

===================================================================

Many hours later, the party at the Wolenczak villa was in full swing. Lucas had introduced the senior crew of the seaQuest to his father, and Captain Bridger had been able to talk to Dr. Wolenczak for a few minutes.

But now, Nathan looked around the room in search of Lucas. Nathan's glance stopped at the fireplace. Over the fireplace was a mantelpiece with a few photos. He was surprised when he couldn't find a picture of the blond teenager.

Now he realized that he hadn't seen a photo of the young man in the whole house. There was no sign that the boy lived here. Bridger thought back to his own house; there had been photos of Robert at different ages, and there had been drawings on the wall that Robert had painted when he was younger. But there was nothing like that in the big villa. Nathan found this odd but thought that maybe that was something normal for a family like the Wolenczaks.

The captain had also closely observed how Lucas and his father acted around each other and felt sad for the boy. They treated each other more like strangers than like father and son. Now Nathan felt that he could understand why Lucas almost never talked about his parents, and if he did, it wasn't always in the best terms.

After some time, he spotted a familiar face and walked toward it. "Hello, Kristin. Have you seen Lucas in the last few minutes?"

Dr. Westphalen shook her head. "No, sorry."

Benjamin Krieg had heard the exchange and looked at the captain. "You're looking for Lucas too?"

Bridger nodded. "Yes."

"I just asked one of the staff. She suggested looking in his room for him and told me where to find it. I was just on my way there; do you want to come too?"

Nathan nodded. "Of course." Suddenly he smiled. "I really want to know if his room here is as untidy as his cabin on the seaQuest."

=======================

Only a couple minutes later Lt. Krieg and Captain Bridger knocked at the door of what they believed tobe the entrance to Lucas' room. When they received no answer, they knocked again, but this time a little bit louder.

Now they could here the teenager's voice. "It's open!"

Captain Bridger and Lt. Krieg stepped into the room. After Ben closed the door behind him, he looked around the room but couldn't see the young genius anywhere. The walls of the room were painted white. On one side of the room was a bed with a nightstand. The room also contained a desk, one wardrobe, a cupboard, one shelf, and a little sofa with a table in front of it. Every piece of furniture was colour-coordinated and in one corner of the room was a big green plant.

Lucas' travel bag was sitting in front of the wardrobe and looked very small, like he hadn't packed a lot.

There were no pictures or posters on the wall. On the shelf were a few books and other things. On the table lay 5 CD's and an old Discman. The room didn't have a lived-in feel and didn't look like Lucas' taste. It looked kind of impersonal.

But what really surprised Bridger and Krieg was that there was only one little computer in the room, and that was Lucas' own computer that he always carried around on the seaQuest. Both had expected to see expensive computer equipment of all sorts.

Finally, they spotted the blond teenager. A little balcony was attached to the room, and that was where Lucas was.

Both adults walked out on the balcony and stood next to the boy. The teenager was standing at the railing, his arms lying on the rail. Lucas looked up at the stars, and without looking away from them he asked, "Do you want something?"

Ben took a yellow disk out of his pocket. "I wanted to give you your disk back. I don't need it anymore."

The blond teenager took the yellow disk. "Thanks, Ben."

Bridger nodded at the Lieutenant and motioned to the door with his eyes. Krieg understood the message and smiled. "I have to go now. I have to convince Katie that her biggest wish is to dance with me."

The computer genius smiled, amused. "Alright, Ben. Good luck!"

Lt. Krieg looked indignant. "I don't need luck for this! I just have to use my famous Krieg charm!" Then he gave a short laugh and left the room.

When the morale officer had closed the door, Lucas looked questioningly at the captain. His hands where fiddling with the disk. "And what do you want?"

"Oh, nothing special. I just wanted to see where you had dissapeared to," said Bridger.

"I see." The teenager looked at the sky again.

Nathan followed Lucas' gaze. He couldn't see anything special up there, only stars. "Anything special up there?"

The youngest crew member of the SeaQuest nodded but said nothing.

"What is it?"

Lucas thought about the question for a moment. Should he really tell the captain? "Draco."

Bridger lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. "Draco?"

The teen nodded. "Yes, Draco. The constellation. In our languege it is called Dragon."

Nathan hadn't been aware of the fact that Lucas was interested in astronomy. "Is that your favourite constellation?"

Lucas shook his head, still looking at the constellation. "No."

The captain had the feeling that he had fight to get any answers out of the boy. "What is your favourite constellation?"

This time, the blond teen answered without hesitation. "Delphinus." Lucas thought about his answer. Not everyone new astronomical terms. "It means 'the dolphin'."

Bridger nodded. Yes, that suited Lucas. "I didn't know that you were interested in astronomy."

The boy kept looking at the stars as he turned the yellow disk over and over in his hands. "I'm not really interested in it."

Nathan thought that was a strange answer. "Oh, you are not really interested, but nevertheless, you can recognize the Dragon even if it isn't your favourite constellation?"

The teenager stopped playing with the disk. Should he really answer that? "Draco was my best friend's favourite constellation."

The captain observed the young man closely. "Was?"

Lucas could have kicked himself for answering; his face twisted. "Yes, he died three months ago. One night, a fire broke out in their house, just suddenly. He and his parents had no chance. They all died in the fire." The teenager decided that he could tell Bridger this much. The captain wouldn't suspect anything from this answer; he would only get suspicious, distrustful, and curious if he said nothing.

Sympathetically, the older man put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm really sorry for you, Lucas."

The teenager smiled sadly. "It's alright; I can handle it."

"You know, I'm always here if you need someone to talk to." Bridger had the feeling that he had to remind the boy about that. But, he doubted that the teen would really come to him; Lucas was a person that rarely talked about his feelings.

The computer genius nodded. "I know." The teen had the feeling that Bridger expected him to tell a little bit more. If he didn't, he was sure that the captain would ask questions. And the older man was good at asking questions. "When I think about him, I feel like watching the stars at night." Lucas smiled. "He was very interested in astronomy. It was a big hobby for him. One year ago, we camped in their garden. When it got dark, we got out of the tent with our sleeping-bags. We lay down in the grass and looked at the sky. He explained to me all the constellations we could see. Before that day, the only constellation I could recognize was Orion. He is really easy to find because of his belt and sword. But that night, I began to understand him; I understood why he loved the stars. Nevertheless, the constellations are a big mystery for me. There are only a few I can recognize and pick out in the sky. But somehow, the stars have are calming and comforting."

Bridger nodded. It surprised him that Lucas had told him so much. "I can understand you pretty well, Kiddo, Carol also loved the stars."

Both were silent for a moment and looked at the night sky. After some time, the captain remembered an excerpt from the book "The Little Prince," by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry. He knew it by the heart and remembered every word. "It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers. In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night.You--only you--will have stars that can laugh! It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens . . . they will all be your friends! And when your sorrow is comforted you will be content that you have known me!"

Lucas let go of the disk he had held the whole time in his hands. It fell down from the balcony and landed on the tiles next to the swimming pool, breaking into many yellow pieces. The teenager didn't seem to notice it; he just looked at the captain in shock.

Bridger looked at the boy, concern lining his face. "What's wrong, Lucas?"

The kid was fighting against tears. "That part ... what you just said... I-I used it for his obituary." Slowly the tears began to run down his cheeks.

Captain Bridger hugged the boy, trying to comfort him. "I'm so sorry, Kiddo. I'm so sorry..."

==================

To Be Continued

Written October 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	5. Chapter 5

THE SECRET

Chapter 5

By Kiddo 

_ In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to my beta-reader Jackie and Crimson Amber, sara, dolphinology, kas and AilaAolani for their Reviews.

Crimson Amber: Thanks! I hope this update was soon enough.

sara: Yes, Lucas friend is dead. You're other questions will be answered in later chapters. And of course there will be more.

dolphinologie: Thanks. 'Hands her a handkerchief.'

kas: Thanks for your kind words.

AilaAolani: Here is more. You have to keep reading to come to know what is going on in this story, and I hope you will do it.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

===================================================================

The next morning, Captain Bridger and Lucas were both at the UEO Headquarters in the city. Bridger had a meeting with his old friend Admiral Noyce, and Lucas had a meeting with two people in the computer department. Normally, there were many more people working in this department, but Noyce had decided that it would be easier for Lucas to have a meeting with just the two best people from UEO Headquarters.

The teenager had changed a few of the computer programs on the seaQuest; he had made them better and more user-friendly. Now, the young computer genius had to explain to the UEO's computer engineers exactly what he had done. Later, the engineers would decide if the changes would also be good for other UEO submarines. Also, the seaQuest would get a few new programs which the teenager would be installing.

After only two hours, Lucas was able to say goodbye to the two people because they were already finished. They had just taken one little break when one of the two engineers had to make an important call.

===================

Bridger and Noyce were just on their way out of Headquarters when they saw Lucas in one of the corridors. Nathan waved at the teenager and the admiral immediately turned in the boy's direction.

"Hello, Lucas, how was the meeting?" asked Noyce.

The teen smiled. "Hello, sir. It went just fine. No problems."

Noyce nodded. "That's good to hear. Nathan and I wanted to drive to a restaurant outside the city. It's in a beautiful little town and the cook is unbelievible. Do you feel like joining us?"

Admiral Noyce liked the young man, and he knew that his friend would be happy if the boy joined them. They had talked a little bit about Lucas in their meeting. Bill knew that the teen had helped Bridger to reconnect with his life. He also knew a few things about Lucas that Nathan wasn't aware of. A visit to a restaurant would be a pleasant change for Lucas.

Lucas hesitated. "I'm not sure..." He had planned on phoning the driver, Justus, to pick him up from UEO Headquarters.

The captain smiled. "Oh come on, Lucas. Bill has told so much about this restaurant, we just have to see if it is really that great. After that, we can bring you home. So you don't need to worry how you'll get back."

The teenager was still uncertain. Lucas knew that he shouldn't be doing something like that; he wasn't allowed to. After a few moments thought, he decided to go along. After all, the offer came from the admiral; maybe it would be alright in this case. "Okay, I'll come with you."

Bridger and Noyce both had big smiles on their faces. "Great, then we can go now."

=====================

Two and a half hours later, the three were on their way back from the restaurant. Like Admiral Noyce had promised, the restaurant had been fantastic, and the food had been delicious.

Now, as they were riding on a long road that ran straight ahead down a little hill, Noyce suddenly stopped in the middle of the story he was just telling.

Bridger, who sat next to the admiral in the front seat, looked concernedly to his old friend. "Bill, everything okay?"

Noyce shook his head; he suddenly turned very pale. "The brake isn't working!"

Lucas, who had until now been looking out the side window, turned to face front. "What!?!"

"The brake isn't working!"

Captain Bridger tried to stay calm, which was really hard in such a situation. _There is no need to panic,_ he told himself. "Calm down, Bill. Pull the handbrake."

A small smile appeared on the admiral's face. Thank god for the handbrake; he had nearly forgotten that there was one. "Hold on tight."

Bridger and Lucas immediately grabbed handles on the car.

Noyce reached out a hand to the handbrake and pulled it. But nothing happened, no abrupt stop, no slowing down. Nothing! Bill tried the handbrake a second time, but again nothing happened. The admiral took a deep breath. "The handbrake's not working."

There had been no need to say this, Captain Bridger and Lucas had both seen it. To everyone's shock, they saw that the road wouldn't run straight ahead much longer. At around 440 yards, the road would take a sharp left.

Now the admiral was thinking quickly; he disengaged the clutch and changed from the 6 gear into the 5. Then he let the clutch in. Then, he disengaged the clutch again and changed from the 5 gear into the 4 and let the clutch in after that.

In doing this, Noyce tried to slow the car down, but it was working very slightly. Finally, after a few seconds, he was in the 1 gear. The bend was only a few yards away and they were still too fast.

"Hold on!" screamed Noyce.

Nathan and Lucas were holding onto the handles as tightly as they could the whole time. Both were praying for the car to slow down.

The black Mercedes flew around the bend and broke through the crash-barrier. Lucas closed his eyes. Then the car rolled a few times and finally stopped, lying on the roof.

=======================

To Be Continued...

(Have I told you before that I love writing cliffhangers?)

Written October 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

THE SECRET

Chapter 6

By Kiddo 

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial thanks goes to my beta-reader Jackie and dolphinologie, Crimson Amber, sara, KatKnits00, AilaAolani and Kas for reviewing.

dolphinologie: Here is more, hope you like it!

Crimson Amber: Interesting Review!

Sara: Thanks for the Review!

KatKnits00: Thanks for the Review!

AilaAolani: Is being evil a good or a bad thing?

Kas: Thanks for the Review!

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Captain Bridger was waking up slowly. And with the consciousness came the memory. His head was dangling down in Noyce's Mercedes, and he turned his head to the other side. Next to him, the admiral was also waking slowly. Bill had a scratch on his forehead that was bleeding.

Bridger tried to turn in his seat, but it was impossible. He glanced at the right side of the car in the hopes that he could take a look in the side mirror, but where there had once been a mirror there was now nothing.

"Lucas?" Nathan hoped for an answer and, after some time, he tried again. "Lucas?" Again, there came no reply.

Suddenly, two men appeared next to the car; one was at the right side, and one was on the left. The side door next to Bridger was opened carefully. "Sir, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

Nathan Bridger nodded. "Yes, please help me out of this seat."

The red-haired man helped Bridger out of the car, which was lying on the roof. The other man was helping the admiral.

When Bridger stood up, he immediately turned to the rear side door of the car. The window was shattered. Nathan opened the door and leaned down from above the teenager. The right side of the boy's face was covered with little scratches; his right arm was similarly scratched.

"Lucas?" Again, the captain received no answer; the fear inside of him grew bigger. Carefully, he got the boy out of the seatbelt and carried him away from the car, over to the place where Bill was sitting in the grass. The admiral held a handkerchief to the scratch on his forehead. They were so far away from the car that if the car exploded, they wouldn't be in any danger.

Nathan lay the teen carefully down in the grass.

The red-haired man turned to Captain Bridger. "The ambulance and the police will be here in a few minutes."

Bridger nodded and got down next to Lucas. He pulled the boy's head onto his knees and softly stroked the hair out of his face. Suddenly, the teenager was groaning. "Lucas?"

The boy's eyelids began to flicker, and finally, two blue eyes opened slowly.

The captain couldn't have been happier. "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

The blond teenager nodded and got into a sitting position. Bridger tried to stop him from sitting up but wasn't successful. "I'm alright Captain, really." Lucas looked down at his burning right arm; when he saw it he twisted his face. "I guess a part of my face looks that way too?"

Bridger smiled and nodded; if the teenager could worry about the way he looked, he couldn't feel too bad. The young man looked at the car, then at the admiral, and finally at the captain. "Captain, you're hurt!"

The older man looked worriedly at the teen. "What?"

"You hurt your arm." Lucas pointed to Bridger's upper arm.

Now the Captain saw a longer cut on his arm. The cut had to have happened when the car rolled. In all the worry about Lucas, he hadn't noticed the pain. "It's not so bad."

After a few minutes they could hear the sirens of the ambulance and the police.

* * *

At the hospital, it turned out that Captain Bridger and the teenager had been very, very lucky. Bridger's cut had required 12 stiches, and Lucas' scratches had to have a few glass fragments removed. But, he had no scratch had been deep enough to need stiches. The boy only got an ointment to put on the scratches two times each day so that they would heel a little bit faster.

After that, Nathan Bridger and Lucas were sent home.

Admiral Noyce had also been lucky, but not as lucky as the other two. Bill had a concussion and had to stay overnight for observation.

* * *

Captain Bridger and Lucas were in the admiral's hospital room. It was a single room, and Nathan sat on a chair while the teenager was standing in front of the window, leaning with his back on the window sill.

Apart from them, there were also two other people in the room. The two policemen asked a few questions about the car accident. Inspector Raymond and his young partner, Lieutenant Williams, had already asked every one of them exactly how the accident had happened. Williams had noted everything in his little computer. Suddenly, a symbol appeared on his screen telling that there was a new message. The lieutenant clicked on the symbol and read the e-mail. After that, he turned to his superior. "Inspector, I just got the results from the garage." The admiral's car had immediately been taken to the garage so that it could be determined why the brakes hadn't worked.

Inspector Raymond took the computer and read the message for himself. After that he nodded thoughtfully. "Admiral Noyce, do you have any enemies?"

Bill Noyce looked a little bit iritated at the inspector. "No, not that I know about it. But in my position, there are always people who don't agree with my decisions and actions and think that I'm wrong and don't like me. But there is no one that I would call my personal enemy. Why do you ask?"

The inspector looked up from the computer screen. "The brakes of you car had been tampered with. It would only have been a matter of time until they went completely. It looks like they had been cut in the parking place of the restaurant. Did any of you see something? See a suspicious person?"

Noyce, Bridger and Lucas all shook their heads.

Raymond noted something on the computer, and then he asked the next question. "Who knew that you would be eating in that restaurant?"

Admiral Noyce didn't need to think long about the question. "My secretary, of course. It isn't a secret that I like to eat at that restaurant. I do that from time to time. We also talked in the hallway at UEO Headquarters about it. It is possible that a few people heard it."

Inspector Raymond gave the computer back to Williams, and Williams took down everything the admiral had said. "It could also be that the attempt wasn't meant for you." Raymond looked at Bridger. "Captain, do you have any enemies?"

Nathan thoughtfully shook his head. "No one that would do such a thing. Just like the admiral, my job also comes with a few people don't like me. But at the moment, I can't think of anyone that would pull something like."

The grey-haired inspector nodded. "Good. But, nevertheless, I want you and the admiral both to make a list of all the people you've had problems with; you know what I mean. Write down everyone you can think of, even if it was many years ago. When you are ready please, call, and I will send Lieutenant Williams so that he can discuss the list with you." Now Raymond turned to Lucas, who he had until now been ignoring. "And what about you, boy? Any enemies we should know about?" His tone sounded like he wasn't taking the teenager or even his own question very seriously.

The blond teen only shook his head. Captain Bridger turned around to face Lucas but couldn't see the look on the boy's face because sunlight from the window was in his eyes.

The inspector nodded. "Good, I wasn't expecting anything otherwise." The boy was just a kid; who would be interested in a teenager and risk also the life of two other adults? The answer was no one. The positions of an admiral and a captain on the other hand were something totally different. When someone wanted to kill an admiral or a captain, he wouldn't care about an innocent teen that also just happened to be sitting in the car.

Raymond asked a few more questions until a nurse came into the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but visiting hours are over, and the admiral needs his rest."

* * *

After the two policemen had disappeared, and Bridger and Lucas were standing alone in one of the hospital hallways, Nathan turned to the computer genius. "Do you need a ride home?"

The blonde teenager shook his head. "No, I'll just call our driver, Justus, and he'll pick me up."

"Are you sure?" asked the captain again. He wanted to make sure that the boy would get home.

The boy nodded. "Of course."

"Alright, then I think I will see if there is a taxi stand nearby, because I don't have something like a personal driver."

Lucas was grinning from one ear to the other. "You can't blame me for that. It's not my fault that the UEO doesn't give their most famous captain his own chauffeur. Maybe you should talk with Admiral Noyce about that."

To Be Continued...

* * *

Written November 2003 / Translated 2004


	7. Chapter 7

THE SECRET

Chapter 7

By Kiddo 

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A special thanks goes to my beta reader Jackie and to KatKnits00, Crimson Amber, sara, dolphinologie and kas for there reviews.

KatKnits00: Raymond is just like a lot of adults. He isn't taking someone young seriously.

Crimson Amber: The brakes didn't work because somebody had cut them. Hadn't I written this?

sara: Okay, be angry ;-)! And here is more...

dolphinologie: Thanks!

Kas: Thanks! Interesting idea that you have there. But I won't say anything to it, after all the story is called "The Secret". Where would be the fun if I would say that something that anybody of you thinks is true or wrong?

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

On the morning of the last day of the seaQuest's shore leave, the Wolenczaks' Vid-phone was ringing. Lucas ran down the stairs and picked it up. Immediately, the face of Benjamin Krieg filled the screen.

"Hi Ben."

"Hey Lucas. We all want to have dinner together tonight before we ship out again tomorrow. Do you have time?"

"Exactly who is 'we'?" asked the teenager.

"Katie, Miguel, Tim, Crocker, Ford, the doc, the captain. And me, of course."

Lucas thought about the offer. Krieg had called every day of shore leave and asked if they could do something together. But, the teenager had always told the lieutenant that he didn't have time. In actuality, he had a lot of time and had just been sitting around in the villa. The problem was he was aware of the fact that he wasn't allowed to do that; he couldn't just meet someone or go out.

Lucas felt that he couldn't lie again to the supply officer. Ben would get suspicious. And besides, he really wanted to go out and meet the others. He had been sitting around the house the whole time and felt so bored. And, he hadn't been able to do anything on a computer, because he had his little computer with him when they were in the car accident. And just like the car, his beloved computer could be written off as dead. Even a computer genius like Lucas couldn't do anything to repair it. He also hadn't been able to use Lawrence's computer, because he knew that Lawrence didn't want him to touch it. That was creating an increasingly big problem for the computer freak.

Finally the blond teenager nodded. "Of course I'm coming."

The lieutenant's smile covered his whole face; he had started to worry about his young friend. "Great, we will meet at 7 p.m. at the fountain on Baker Street. Do you know where it is?"

The teenager nodded. "Yup; see you there." In truth, Lucas had no idea where it was, but he was confident that Justus would know where it was and could drive him there.

"Okay, see you this evening. Bye!"

"Bye!"

The screen of the Vid-phone turned black, but Lucas remainded in place for a moment. Had he made the right decision?

* * *

Lucas was sitting in the backseat of the dark Jaguar and was looking out the car window. It was shortly before 7 p.m. and the driver just turned onto Baker Street. Justus turned around to the blond boy. "I can't stop at the side of the road where the fountain is. Is it alright if I let you out here and you walk over to the other side?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I think I can manage." The computer genius got out of the car, and before he closed the door, he thanked the driver. "Thanks for driving me here."

Justus laughed and shook his head. "You never learn. How often have I told you that there is no need to thank me? That's my job. Call me when you need me to pick you up again."

"Ok, thanks." The teenager closed the door.

When the car had driven away, Lucas went to corner and waited until the street was free of cars so that he could walk over to the other side to the foundation. The others were already waiting.

Tim O'Neill was the first one who spotted the teenager and waved to him. "Hi, Lucas!"

The kid waved back. When he couldn't see any cars coming from his right or left, he stepped onto the street.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a car turned the corner and drove directly toward the blond boy. Lucas looked to his right and saw the BMW heading for him so fast it was as if the devil himself were after it. It showed no signs of wanting to slow down. The teenager was paralyzed with fear.

Commander Ford was the first who realized what was going on. He ran towards the street and screamed, "Lucas, run!" When the others saw, they followed the commander without hesitation.

Now the computer genius was awakening from his momentary numbness and tried to dodge out of the way of the car. But unfortunately, it was too late.

The left front of the car hit the teenager. Lucas was thrown on the black windshield of the car and flew through the air.

In the short time it took to happen, many thoughts were running through the teen's head. _So this is how it's going to end_, he thought; he was convinced that he would die. But at least everything was over now, and no one would be in danger because of him.

Lucas saw the grey asphalt coming to meet him, and then he hit the ground. The blond boy feeled a sharp pain in his left arm; then, everything went black around him.

The car disappeared as quickly as it has come.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written November 2003 / Translated Summer 2004

* * *

Information:

A few days after I had written this part of the story, I got the message that Jonathan Brandis had died. Maybe you can imagine now why I had to take a break from writing. The last lines of this chapter made it so difficult to carry on with the story. I needed 4 weeks to decide if I wanted to write anymore "seaQuest" stories or to carry on with this one.

After a lot of thinking, I decided to keep writing and to not change anything it the first 13 pages. I also decided to write the story in that way I had originally planned it, but like I said in the first chapter, it wasn't always possible. There are a lot of little parts in the story that weren't planned. They just came out by writing. When I had planned this story in the summer of 2003, I imagined it to be something between 30 and 40 pages. In the end, the German version had 62 pages.

Like I said before, I personally think it is very noticeable that I had to take a break at this part, and there is also something like a break in the story. There is a shift in the mood/spirit of the story.

But, you can form your own opinion; maybe I'm just the only one who feels it, because I know what I always had in mind while writing.


	8. Chapter 8

THE SECRET

Chapter 8

By Kiddo 

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and am not making any money with this story.

A "thank you" goes to my beta reader Jackie and Crimson Amber, Lynn, dolphinologie and sara for their reviews.

Crimson Amber: Interesting that you hope that Lucas is kind of hurt but will be fine in the end. What would a psychologist say about this, or about my stories... ;-). Better don't ask him.

Lynn: Thanks! I always update as soon as I'm able to do it.

dolphinologie: What do you exactly mean with I didn't finish the part about the car wreck? Nice to hear that you enjoy my stories.

sara: Thanks. Yes, here is more! Maybe our mistakes makes us human...

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Captain Bridger was sitting restlessly in the waiting room of the hospital and was waiting for some news about Lucas' condition. Five minutes after the teen had been hit by the BMW, an ambulance had arrived.

Nathan Bridger and Dr. Westphalen had been the only ones who were allowed to stay with Lucas in the ambulance. The whole time, Bridger had observed the boy very closely, hoping for a little movement or some sign that the teen would be okay. But nothing had happened. Lucas hadn't moved one little bit.

When they had arrived at the hospital, the nurses and Kristin had disappeared into the Emergency Room with the boy. Nathan wasn't allowed to go with them.

The doors of the waiting room opened and the senior crew of the seaQuest stormed inside. Benjamin Krieg was the first who reached the captain, very short of breath. "How is he? Is he okay? What are the doctors saying?"

Bridger shrugged. "I don't know; no one has told me anything!"

Miguel Ortiz sat down on a chair. Just like all the others, he couldn't forget the picture of how Lucas had been hit by the car and how he had been laying on the street. "I've never seen him so pale before."

Tim O'Neill could only nod silently. In his thoughts, he was praying for Lucas.

* * *

One hour later, Kristin stepped into the waiting room. She was wearing turquoise scrubs from the hospital. A few strands of her red hair had worked their way out of her ponytail and were falling in her face. When the crew saw the woman they stood up and hurried to her.

Captain Bridger only looked silently at the doctor. Meanwhile, Ben asked one question after the other. "How is he? What's going on? He is alright, isn't he? Has he woken up?"

Doctor Westphalen knew that everyone was worried about their youngest crew member, and she could understand that well because it had been very difficult for her to stay calm. The teenager meant as much to her as the senior crew.

Lucas was like a son to Bridger, and Benjamin Krieg had found some kind of little brother in the young genius. Lucas often did things with Ben, Tim and Miguel on the seaQuest. Their poker games were famous and sometimes even the captain and Chief Crocker joined in. There were even rumors that said that Commander Ford had been in a few rounds.

Chief Crocker and Lucas were designing a new security program together, but maybe it was more accurate to say that the teenager designed it according to the specifications of the Chief.

In the beginning, the relationship between Commander Ford and Lucas had been a little bit cold, but that had changed a lot. The commander seemed to be the most relaxed when he was around the blond boy.

Katie Hitchcock and Lucas had thought about working on a mini-sub together. The model and the plans were already finished; it just had to be built. Both were convinced that they had found the perfect name for the sub. Lt. Cdr. Hitchcock was for the name "Gazelle", but the teenager was totally against it. He wanted the name "Stinger." But that, on the other hand, was a name that Katie didn't wanted. Westphalen suspected that they were only fighting over the name because they had so much fun arguing.

The red-haired doctor looked at the whole senior crew; she was so glad that she had good news for them. She couldn't have born telling them something different. "Lucas is as well as can be expected under the cirumstances. He has been very lucky."

A wave of relief went through the crew. "But what does that mean exactly?" asked Captain Bridger. Nathan could only be sure that the boy was really fine when he saw him and talked with him.

Kristin brushed a few hairs out of her face. "Like I suspected before, his left lower-arm is broken. He has a cast from wrist to elbow. Nothing is broken besides the arm. Luckily, he had no internal injuries. His skin was a little torn up in a few spots because of the fall, but he has been very very lucky; a lot of people die in such accidents. But as to how Lucas is really feeling, can we only say when he wakes up."

"He hasn't woken up yet?" asked Ford, worried.

"No, unfortunately not. But, I'm sure that he will soon," informed Doctor Westphalen.

Captain Bridger turned to Kristin. "Can I see him?"

The red-haired woman smiled. "Of course." Then, she turned to the rest of the crew. "I'm sorry, but I can only let one person in to see Lucas at the moment. He needs his rest."

The others nodded; it went without saying that Bridger would be the one person. "No problem. Nathan, tell Lucas 'hi' from all of us when he wakes up," said Manilow Crocker.

"I will do that... and thank you."

Everyone knew what their captain was thanking them for.

Bridger followed Doctor Westphalen to another part of the hospital.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	9. Chapter 9

THE SECRET

Chapter 9

By Kiddo 

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A special "Thank You" goes to my wonderful beta-reader Jackie. I wouldn't post without you.

A second "Thank You" goes to Alexis Rose, KatKnits00, dolphinology, kas7 and sara for the reviews.

To Alexis Rose: Have you read the german original of this story before? In this chapter you will read what Lucas is dreaming. How could you know that?

To KatKnits and dolphinologie: Thanks! I also like the part about the background ;-)

To kas7: Thanks! Now your waiting is over, here it is...

To sara: A part of your review made me laugh. Let me just say, that there will come the time when the secret comes out.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Captain Bridger was sitting on a chair next to Lucas' hospital bed. It had been two days ago that the teenager had been hit by the car. But during the whole time since the accident, Lucas hadn't woken up.

Bridger was very worried about the boy. Dr. Westphalen had tried to reassure Nathan by telling him that some people needed more time to wake up and that Lucas' body was just taking the time it needed. But, Bridger didn't truly believe her. Something was wrong.

Besides, this morning, Bridger had overheard a talk between two doctors that wasn't meant for his ears. The two doctors had talked about Lucas' state. Both agreed on the point that someone with these kinds of injuries should have woken up a long time ago. That the teenager hadn't woken up yet was abnormal and not a good sign. They suspected that the boy didn't want to wake up or that maybe they had overlooked something during the examination. Brain damage was always possible in such accidents.

Nathan wished that he hadn't heard that conversation. He didn't want to imagine that the teenager's brain was damaged in some way. Lucas would still be Lucas to him, but he knew that the boy couldn't take it if he wasn't able to do things anymore that he had mastered in the past so easily. Lucas defined himself, in part, by his intelligence and his abilities on the computer. He built his feelings of self-worth on that. Without those two things, the boy would really have problems. And the Captain didn't want to think about the effects this would have.

The other thing that the doctors had said was that the young genius didn't want to wake up.

Bridger had heard of something like that before. But he couldn't think that of his youngest crew member. Nathan was sure there were a lot of things that he didn't know about Lucas and the visit at Lawrence Wolenczak's party had confused him even more. But the captain couldn't think of a reason why the boy wouldn't want to wake up.

Bridger stood up and looked out the window. He hated the uncertainty of these thoughts. Nathan was afraid to lose the teenager. He had lost Carol and Robert; Lucas' death would be something he couldn't take. It would be the point at which he just couldn't go on. Lucas had just given him his life back. Nathan couldn't lose the teenager.

Captain Bridger took a big breath, and then he turned around and sat down on the chair next to the bed. He took Lucas' right hand in his hand and watched the boy. A few minutes later, Bridger felt a movement.

Lucas' right hand tensed, and the look on his face changed. A tear was running down the teenager's cheek.

"Lucas - Lucas, can you hear me?"

But, the computer genius wasn't able to hear the captain; the boy was caught in his dream.

""""""""""""""""

Lucas was sitting in the backseat of the car. His father was sitting in the driver's seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He glanced on his watch. "What is taking her so long? She knows that we wanted to leave 5 minutes ago!"

The teenager decided not to answer his father and looked at the high-rise apartment building. Two minutes later, his mother stepped outside and got in the car next to his father. His father gave her a dark look. "Great, we'll be too late because of you!"

The blond woman returned the look with an icy one of her own. "Who took so long in the bathroom that I couldn't go inside?" She went through her handbag. "Oh no, I forgot the tickets."

Lucas' father looked angrily at her. "Great, just great. One time we want to go to the theater and you forget the tickets!"

"Calm down, they're just next to the Vidphone."

The teenager didn't want to listen to this conversation any longer. He unfastened his seat belt and jumped out of the car. "I'll be right back; I'm just going to get the tickets."

"Thanks; after all, I was able to raise my son to be a gentleman," said the blond woman in a sharp tone.

Lucas ran to the building and darted up the many steps to the apartment. He unlocked the door with his key and looked for the tickets. Exactly as his mother had said, they were lying next to the Vidphone. The teenager grabbed the theatre tickets, locked the door behind him, and hurried downstairs.

When Lucas' father spotted his son, the teenager was just 10 steps away from the car. The man turned the ignition key so that they could drive away as soon as the boy got in the car. But they never got that far; the moment the key was turned, the car exploded.

The force of the explosion threw Lucas to the ground. He could do nothing to save his parents, but couldn't tear his eyes away as the car burned with his parents inside. Tears were running down his face, and he screamed. "Noooooooo!"

""""""""""""""""

"Noooooooo!" Lucas awoke abruptly.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Tranlated Summer 2004


	10. Chapter 10

THE SECRET

Chapter 10

By Kiddo 

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thanks" goes to my beta-reader Jackie and Alexis Rose, KatKnits00 and dolphinology for their reviews.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

"Noooooooo!" Lucas awoke abruptly. His blue eyes were wide open.

Captain Bridger leaned down towards the teenager and spoke with a soft voice in an attempt to calm him. "Everything is okay kiddo. You are safe. It was just a bad dream."

The teenager's eyes looked anxiously around. Where was he? Hadn't he had just been...

Bridger saw the confusion. "Lucas, you are in a hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

For a moment, the blond boy looked silently at Bridger. Then, he nodded. "The car... I didn't see it coming." Then he was silent again.

Bridger nodded. "How are you feeling?"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know...tired."

Captain Bridger smiled. "Then go to sleep."

The teenager closed his eyes, but shortly before he fell back to sleep, he remembered something. Without opening his eyes he asked the captain a question with a sleepy voice. "Who was the driver of the car?"

Bridger sighed disappointedly. "It was a hit and run; we have no idea who it was."

"I have to get away from here, Captain. I can't stay here; it's too dangerous. He can find me here..." And with those last words, sleep overtook the boy. He was just too tired.

Bridger jumped up. "Lucas! Lucas - what do you mean? What is too dangerous? Who can find you here? Lucas, Lucas!" But the captain received no answer; the teenager had fallen into a deep sleep.

Nathan sat down in his chair again. A bad feeling was rising in him. What had Lucas meant? What was too dangerous, and who could find him in this place? Bridger had the feeling that he had so often had about Lucas. For one second he thought he knew the teenager, and the next one, he had the feeling that a stranger was standing in front of him. Something was totally wrong here!

The captain had hoped that the visit at Lawrence Wolenczak's party would help him to understand the boy, but it hadn't. In fact, it was just the opposite. Nathan was more confused now than before. The teenager and Dr. Wolenczak had acted like strangers around each other. Lucas' room hadn't looked like a place the teenager liked and felt comfortable in. There was something wrong in the family.

Suddenly Bridger thought back to the car accident they had had with Admiral Noyce. The police hadn't been able to find anything out about who might have tampered with the brakes. But what if the police were searching in the wrong place? They only searched in Noyce and in his backgrounds. But what if the accident hadn't been meant for them but for the teenager?

And there was also the car accident two days ago. That hadn't been an accident at all - the car had directly aimed for Lucas!

Nathan now thought about the boy's words. What had he said exactly? "I have to get away from here, Captain. I can't stay here; it's too dangerous. He can find me here..." Yes, those had been the exact words the teen used. Lucas obviously knew more than him; the genius belived that his life was in danger. And meanwhile the captain was also convinced of that.

Bridger took his orange PAL out of his pocket. "This is Captain Bridger."

The voice of Commander Ford was heared coming from the PAL. "This is Cdr. Ford. What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Make the seaQuest ready. We will be shipping out tomorrow."

The voice of his first officer sounded a bit confused. "I thought we weren't going to ship out until Lucas was well enough."

"I have changed my mind. We will ship out tomorrow," said the captain decisively.

"And what about Lucas?" Jonathan Ford had never heard the captain use this tone of voice before. Something wasn't quite right.

"We will take Lucas with us. After all, we have our MedBay, and Kristin is a very good doctor."

Ford decided that it was better to not ask any more questions. "Okay, Sir. I will take care of everything. Is there anything else?"

Bridger shook his head. "No. Bridger out!" Then, Nathan put his PAL back in his pocket. He was aware of the fact that he had been very abrupt to his first officer, but Bridger didn't have time to anwer questions at the moment. And besides, he had the feeling that he didn't really know the answers. The captain only knew that Lucas didn't want to stay in the hospital for some reason. And if Bridger's guess was correct, it was because the life of his youngest crew member was in danger. And if that was the truth, Nathan would do everything in his power to ensure that no one would get near the boy. The seaQuest was the safest place for Lucas. He didn't know a better security team than the one led by Chief Crocker.

Again, the captain took his PAL out. "This is Bridger. Manilow, I need your help."

"What can I do for you, Cap?" asked Crocker.

"I want you to send two members of you security team to the hospital. I want them to stand guard in front of Lucas' door," explained Bridger.

For a moment, Chief Crocker was silent and thought about Nathan's words. He had known Bridger for many years, and he could tell by the captain's voice that this was serious. He didn't need to ask any questions. If his old friend wanted two of his security team to guard Lucas, then there was a good reason for it. "No problem - I send you my three best people." Three were always better than two.

"Thanks. Bridger out."

* * *

Around two hours later, Dr. Kristin Westphalen stepped into Lucas' hospital room with a look of outrage on her face.

"Captain Nathan Hale Bridger, who do you think you are?" She took a big breath of air. Her hands were on her hips. "You can't order the seaQuest to ship out tomorrow! Ford has told me all about it. Lucas isn't well enough. We really don't know what state his body really is in. The MedBay isn't equipped for every possible situation. The boy needs his rest and he will get the best in this hospital. And what are Crocker's 'watchdogs' doing outside the door anyway?" The red-haired doctor looked angrily at Nathan.

"Please calm down Kristin or you will wake Lucas up." He pointed to the chair next to him. "Take a seat, please."

Dr. Westphalen sat down and thought about the captain's words. He had said that she should calm down so that she wouldn't wake the teenager up. But that would mean... "Lucas has woken up?"

Captain Bridger nodded and gave the woman a smile. "Two hours ago, he woke for a short time and spoke to me."

"Does the doctor know that? Has he checked him out?"

Bridger nodded again. "Yes. About half an hour ago, he was also awake. The doctor has talked with him and taken a few tests. The doctor said that Lucas is on the way to recovery. Broken arm and torn skin aside, Lucas has been unbelievably lucky." The older man was smiling happily.

Kristin also smiled. "That's good. But it still doesn't explain the way you are acting. Why do you want to ship out tomorrow? I thought you wanted to wait a few days longer."

The captain nodded; he could understand the doctor very well. "I did plan on waiting at first, but at the time, I didn't know what I know now." He looked at the teenager for a few seconds, and then he turned back to Dr. Westphalen. "When Lucas woke up two hours ago, he said this to me: 'I have to get away from here, Captain. I can't stay here; it's too dangerous. He can find me here...' Those were his exact words."

Both adults were silent for a moment. Each lost in their own thoughts.

"But what exactly does this mean, Nathan? What was he trying to tell you?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a guess. Do you remember the accident that Admiral Noyce, Lucas, and I had?"

Kristin nodded. "Yes, because of the cut brakes."

Bridger nodded. "Exactly. The police suspected that the attack was meant for the admiral or me. But I don't think so anymore; I think that the attack was meant for Lucas. And, I think the car that hit Lucas was also no accident. The BMW aimed right towards where Lucas was standing. I think that someone wants to kill Lucas!"

Horrified, Dr. Westphalen put her hand to her mouth. "But... he is just a child. Who would want to kill a child? Lucas wouldn't hurt a fly."

The captain shrugged. "That's the question of all questions, Kristin. And, Lucas is the only one who can give us an answer."

The red-haired woman looked at the teenager who was sleeping so peacfully. Who could raise a hand against this boy? There was no sense in that. Lucas was popular with everyone she knew. Everyone liked him. "That's the reason why three members of Crocker's security team are standing at the door, right?"

Bridger only nodded. Both adults' thoughts were with the teenager.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	11. Chapter 11

THE SECRET

Chapter 11

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

__

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thanks" goes to my beta-reader Jackie and KatKnits00, Alexis Rose, Ms Hobgoblin and dolphinology for their review.

KatKnits00: Thanks! I think it is important that a crew trusts their Captain. But sometimes it can also be really important when a crew questions the orders of their captain.

Alexis Rose: Thanks! Your reviews are always quite entertaining :-)

Ms Hobgoblin: Thanks! It's always nice to hear when people like my stories.

Dolphinologie: Thanks!

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Three days later, Lucas was sitting on the edge of the Moon Pool and was watching Darwin. Two days ago, the seaQuest had shipped out. Until one hour earlier, the teenager had been in MedBbay, but finally Dr. Westphalen had released him; he was free. It certainly had helped a lot that he had driven the woman nuts.

The first day in MedBay, the computer genius had mainly slept, but after yesterday, he couldn't do it anymore; he had slept enough. Yesterday he had spent the whole day getting on Kristin's nerves and telling her that she could realease him. One hour ago, he had finally gotten her to the point that she released the teenager.

Lucas had left as fast as he could. He wouldn't take the chance that Dr. Westphalen would change her mind and keep him longer. The boy's body and movements still felt a bit stiff, and he had to get used to the cast on his arm, but beside that, he felt pretty good.

Lucas didn't have anything personal against Kristin, but it was totally boring in MedBay, and there was no computer he could use. Okay, there was also no computer he could use in his cabin. His own little computer had been totally destroyed in the car accident, and he hadn't had any time to buy a new one. Aside from which, a very good computer was really expensive for someone his age.

Okay, there was this great seaQuest computer in his cabin, but Bridger didn't want him to 'play' around with this computer. The blond teenager shook his head and smiled to himself. Since when had that ever stopped him this from using that computer? It wasn't like he would damage it in some way; Lucas knew exactly what he was doing, and that couldn't be said about everyone who worked with the computer system on the bridge. How often had they called him because they had a computer problem? But, the teenager suspected that they could have solved a lot of the minor problems by themselves if they had really thought about it. But it seemed to be easier and quicker to call Lucas than doing it themselves.

The computer genius knew that his current thoughts were a little bit unfair and arrogant; everyone on the seaQuest was doing their job as well as they could. But sometimes, Lucas just worried about the crew. What would they do when they had a really big computer problem and he wouldn't be there?

The teenager couldn't stay on the submarine forever; his whole situation had changed in the last couple of days. Who knows, maybe he would have to leave the seaQuest soon. And what would they do without him then? It didn't look like there was any really good computer expert besides him in the UEO at the present. If there was, he or she would be placed on the submarine for sure.

Lucas' stay on the seaQuest could only be called an accident. The teenager had stopped believing in fate a long time ago. Or was it fate that people were dying? No, of course not. Such a thing couldn't be preordained. Such a thing wasn't fair.

The blond teen looked sadly into the water. He didn't want to leave the seaQuest. Just when he was finally starting to feel that he had found a new home. Lucas had found friends here. But were they really his friends? After all, none of them knew who he really was; no one knew the truth about him. But he couldn't tell them the truth. He wasn't allowed to. It would be too dangerous for him.

He was aware of the fact that both car accidents hadn't been simple accidents. He had been a little unsure with the first one. But now there was no doubt about it. He was in big danger. Lucas should have contacted Mr. Andrews after the first one so he could disappear from the area. But he just wasn't sure if he was being paranoid, and he didn't want to disgrace himself. After all, the attempt could have been meant for the admiral or the captain. Now he knew better. He would contact Andrews as soon as possible and tell him everything that had happened.

The blond teenager knew that this was the right decision, but nevertheless he didn't want to do it. He was sure that Andrews would make him leave the seaQuest. But Lucas didn't want that. He wanted to stay here, on the seaQuest with Bridger, Darwin, Ben, Dr. Westphalen and all the others.

At the same time, he also knew that his wish was impossible. Until now, the seaQuest had been a safe haven for the computer genius, but the shoreleave had changed that.

Suddenly, Lucas felt the presence of another person in the room. He turned around and spotted Captain Bridger walking directly towards him. The captain sat down next to him.

Nathan looked at the teenager. It looked like Lucas was lost pretty deeply in his thoughts. His youngest crew member looked like he carried the whole weight of the world on his shoulders. "Lucas, we need to talk." Bridger couldn't wait any longer. If the teenager was in danger, he needed to know what it was really about. He couldn't truly protect the boy otherwise.

"What about?" The computer genius had a bad feeling.

The captain thought a moment. What would be the best words to use? "About the truth."

Lucas looked anxiously at the older man. "What do you mean with the truth?" In reality, he wasn't that ignorant; he could imagine what the captain wanted to know. But maybe it could be something else. His decision was not to say anything until it was unavoidable.

Nathan groaned. He had suspected that Lucas wouldn't make it easy for him. "How about the fact that both car accidents haven't been accidents? The attempt with the cut brakes was never meant for Bill or me. It was meant for you. You didn't want to stay in the hospital because you said it was too dangerous there for you, because he could find you there." Bridger paused, and then he looked the teen straight in the eye. "I made sure that you were safe in the hospital and that you could leave it as soon as posible. You are in some kind of danger, but I don't know why and from whom. I have done what I could. Lucas, I think I have earned the whole truth."

The blond computer genius knew that the captain was right. Lucas looked on his cast where his friends had all signed. Bridger and the others had the right to know the truth. The boy nodded. "You're right, Captain. Give me two hours, and then call the senior crew to the wardroom. I don't want to tell the story twice. Telling it once will be hard enough."

To Be Continued...

* * *

The "big" secret will come out...next chapter!

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	12. Chapter 12

THE SECRET

Chapter 12

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A special "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and to KatKnits00, Alexis Rose, sara, dolphinology, kas7, kbandy and Jen for their Reviews. You made my week.

KatKnits00: Thanks!

Alexis Rose: Thanks! Good to hear that my chapters are entertaining.

sara: Hope this is soon enough.

dolphinologie: Thanks!

kas7: Thanks! Yes, Lucas will tell the others the truth. Of course I have written loads more. This story has 27 chapters.

klbandy: Thanks for your thoughtfull review. He is missed by a lot of people...

Jen: Here is more.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Approximately two hours later, the senior crew was sitting around the table in the wardroom. Everyone was there except Bridger and Lucas. None of them knew exactly what this meeting would be about; they just knew that the teenager wanted to tell them something. The senior crew had noticed in the last days that something was going on with Lucas, but none of them really knew what it was all about.

Finally, Captain Bridger and the blond computer genius stepped into the room and sat down on the last two free chairs. Bridger nodded encouragingly at Lucas as sign that the boy could start.

The teenager took a deep breath of air and looked around. Everyone was there: Ben, Miguel, Tim, Lt. Cdr. Hitchcock, Cdr. Ford, Chief Crocker, Dr. Westphalen, and, of course, the captain. The only one missing was Darwin, and how could you bring a dolphin into the wardroom?

Everyone was looking at the boy with interest. How should he begin? Lucas had been thinking about that for the last two hours, but he still couldn't think of a better way. How do you tell the people that trust you that you have been lying to them the whole time? Would they still want to know him after this?

The young man took another deep breath and cleared his throat. "First, you all have to promise me that what I am going to tell you now will not leave this room. Nobody except all of you are allowed to know it. Can you promise that?" Everyone nodded.

Lucas brushed a strand of hair back out of his face; it was clear that he was nervous. "Good, I will hold you to that. Am I correct in thinking that you are all wondering why you are here?" A few crew members nodded. "This whole thing is a bit difficult. To tell you the truth, I have no idea how to tell you this. This is not easy for me..."

Benjamin Krieg tried to lighten up the situation a little bit. "Oh come on, Lucas. You know us, and we know you. Nobody will bite your head off."

The blond teenager looked miserably at the supply and moral officer. "No, Ben, you don't know me. You have no idea who I am."

Miguel lifted one eyebrow. What did Lucas mean? "Of course we know you. You are Lucas, Lucas Wolenczak!"

The teen closed his eyes for a moment. The whole thing was even harder than he had expected. He felt like screaming. Than he opened his eyes again and looked at every person. "No, you don't understand me. You really don't know me; you have no idea who I am. And that's the problem."

"What do you mean?" asked Katie Hitchcock.

Again the genius took a deep breath of air. It was now or never. "I'm not Lucas Wolenczak. Lucas Wolenczak has never existed!"

Commander Ford gave a short laugh. When he realized that nobody else was laughing, he was silent again. "Is this a bad joke?"

The teenager shook with his head. "No, this is not a joke. I wish it was one."

Bridger had expected a lot of things, but not that. Who could have expected such a thing? "Who are you if you are not Lucas?"

The boy didn't know what to feel. Should he be feeling sick because of all this, or was he glad that the whole hide and seek game was finally over and the truth would come out? "I'm Andy, Andy Braun."

* * *

To Be Continued 

Written December 2003 / Translated 2004

* * *

Information: 

And finally the secret is out! Aren't the first two chapters looking more interesting now? I did say that they would become important later ;-)

But I think most of you had already guesse dwho Andy is..

More information in the next chapters...


	13. Chapter 13

THE SECRET

Chapter 13

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to Dark Miho, KatKnits00, dolphinology, kbandy and kas7 for their reviews.

Dark Miho: Thanks! It looks like you love to change your name from time to time...

KatKnits00: Thanks! Okay, you will read the crew-reactions in this chapter.

dolphinology: Thanks! Hope you still think that after this chapter.

kbandy: Thanks! Wow, you really didn't see this coming? Cool! And I thought everybody know what the story really was about after the first chapters.

kas7: Thanks for your kind review, makes me turn red in the face :-). Yeah, who else could be that good at hacking ;-)

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

For about a minute, there was total silence. The shock had to be digested. Ben was the first to recover his voice. "Lucas, I know that I went too far with my last joke. I should have never hidden your computer, put the blue hair dye in you shampoo, and I really never should have taken the batteries out of the vocoder. I wasn't aware of the fact that it would cause so much trouble. Honestly! I can only tell you for the hundredth time how sorry I am. But you don't have to pay it back to everyone like this. This is really not funny!"

Lucas shook his head sadly. "No Ben, this isn't my idea of revenge. My real name is Andy Braun."

Finally, the information got through to everyone. The young man that they all thought they knew didn't exist. He was a totally different person.

Lt. Krieg observed the boy closely. The computer genius was completely serious; the whole thing wasn't a joke. "You've been lying to us the whole time?"

The blond teen swallowed hard and nodded. He felt awful. Ben had come right to the point; he had lied to all of them. Lucas focused his eyes on a spot on the wall. He couldn't look the others in the eye. He wished that the ground would open up and swallow him.

The curiosity was rising in Chief Crocker. "But why Lucas- um, I mean Andy - why did you do it?"

"Because I had to..." The short sentence said everything and nothing at the same time.

"What exactly does that mean? Why did you have to lie to us Luc-Andy?" asked Commander Ford.

The teenager thought about the whole situation. If he wasn't the subject of all this, he would find the situation amusing. "First off, you can still call me Lucas. You actually should because the others might notice that something's wrong. And second, Lucas is my middle name - Andy Lucas Braun. I never really liked the name Andy." Again the boy brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. "But now, to your question. I had to lie to you so that nobody would discover my true identity. Lucas Wolenczak is an identity that was created for me. I'm in the witness protection program."

Dr. Westphalen thought about that, the witness protection program. Normally, you only heard about that in a movie or on TV. But if all of this was really true, she could understand why Lucas had been lying to them. The identity Lucas Wolenczak had been created to protect the teenager. She was sure that the people had impressed upon the boy that he was not allowed to talk about the program. But now Lucas told them about it.

The captain and Kristin were sure that someone wanted to kill Lucas. But why? What had had happened to start all this off? There had to be a good reason why the teen was in the program. From what, or from whom, did the boy have to be protected? "Why are you in the witness protection program?"

The teenager was a bit relieved. It seemed as thought they believed him. "The whole thing isn't going to be easy to explain. To tell you the truth, it is a long story."

Bridger nodded encouragingly at the boy; he could see how difficult it was for Lucas. Normally, the teenager was a very honest person. It must have been very hard for him to lie to them all. "We have time; you can tell us everything. And don't worry, we won't tell anybody about it."

Lucas nodded. "Good. The whole thing started a little bit more than six months ago. I had just finished Stanford and was staying at my best friend's place overnight. I did that many weekends." He was silent for a moment as he thought back on his best friend. "Sean and I had been close friends since kindergarten. It was never a problem for him that I was above- average. We shared a passion for computers; he was also a hacker. We often hacked into things together. And that is what we did that one night. Sean had read that a company had recently installed a new system to keep out hackers, a so-called absolute system against hackers. As I'm sure you can imagine, Sean and I had to find out if that was really true."

"And was it true?" Krieg wanted to know.

Lucas shook his head. "Of course not. There was nothing that we couldn't crack together. But for just that one time, I wish that we hadn't been able to break into the system." The boy looked at the cast on his arm. It seemed like he was drowning in his own thoughts.

There was silence for a few moments, and then O'Neill cleared his throat. "Lucas?" The teenager looked up. "What happened when you hacked the system?"

"We looked around in the system for a little bit and thought about what we should do. You have to believe me that we never did any harm in a system; the only thing we sometimes did was leave a message and tell them that we had cracked their system, nothing else. But suddenly, I saw this strange data set. Its name was only a few letters and numbers. All the other data sets had names that pretty much told you what was inside them. So you can imagine, this data set was an eye catcher."

Miguel Ortiz could imagine what was coming next. "Your curiosity got the better of you. You opened the data set, didn't you?"

The blond teen nodded and used his uninjured hand to brush some more hair out of his face. "Yes, and what I found in there stopped my breath."

It was so quiet in the wardroom that you could have heard a pin falling.

"What was in the data set?" asked Lt. Cdr. Hitchcock.

"The company had found a cheap and illegal way to get rid of their toxic waste. They just dumped their toxic waste into the ocean. And all of the information about it was right there."

A few crew members heard the alarm bells go off in their heads. What Lucas had just told them sounded very familiar. About six months ago, such a case was running through the media. But none of them wanted to say anything - they just wanted to keep listening to the story.

"I saved the information on a disk, and Sean and I went to the police with it. In the beginning, the police didn't believe us. They thought the information on the disk was made up. They thought we were only two teenagers who wanted to make themselves important. When we showed them how we had broken into the company's system and that the information was really true, they treated us differently. The police informed the FBI and from there on, the whole thing took its own course. As an exchange for the information, Sean and I weren't punished for the hack. After that, they did everything possible to ensure that our identities stayed secret. Our testimony was written down so that nobody would see our faces or hear our voices. Only the police and the FBI knew our names and who we were; everything was top secret. Sean's parents totally flipped out because of the situation. Just like my parents, they had no idea that Sean and I were hackers. He got house arrest for 6 month and they took his computer away."

Tim O'Neill found Lucas' choice of words strange. Why was he telling them how Sean's parents had reacted and not how his own parent had acted? "And what effect did the situation have on your parents?"

The blond teenager gave a brief, scornful laugh and shrugged his shoulders. "That is something I also wanted to know. At least, they didn't react in any way to me. It seemed like they didn't care. Everything went on like before."

Dr. Westphalen looked at Lucas with an expression of disbelief. "You can't be serious! They must have said something to this."

The computer genius shook his head sadly. "No - nothing at all. I think they were too preoccupied with themselves. My parents were always arguing. I always expected that they would divorce. Our whole family didn't have a good relationship with each other. My parents seemed to hate each other, and I didn't get along with them very well. When my IQ was discovered, they did a DNA test. They wanted to know if I was really their child or if I had been switched with another baby in the hospital or somethink like that. I looked a little bit like them, but aside from that, I was so different. I think when they found out that I was definitely their child they were disappointed.

The scholarship to Stanford was the best that could have happened to me. I couldn't see Sean anymore, but I finally had some distance between me and my parents. That would have never been possible without the scholarship. My parents would have never been able to raise that much money on their own. They both worked hard, but we were still always short of money. My mother was working as a waitress and my father was a taxidriver. The money for my computer I earned myself." Lucas rubbed his uninjured hand over his face, as if he wanted to wipe away his thoughts.

Bridger realized that the thing about his parents was eating at the boy. Nathan felt that there was more than the teen had told. Lucas looked like he was blaming himself for something. The captain decided to steer the conversation in another direction. "And what happened after the police and the FBI had started to make inquiries?"

Secretly he had an idea about the anwer. When this had gotten to the press, Nathan was living on his island. As isolated as he was, however, the news had gotten to him. This particular case had interested him a lot, and he had done a little bit reasearch about it on the Internex. A lot of reporting was done about it, including the fact that the most damning evidence had come from two teenage hackers. But more about the teenagers had never been told. Bridger would have never connected this case with Lucas. The boy was full of surprises.

The blond teenager answered immediately. "The inquiries started and three weeks later, the company was brought in front of the court. The company had to pay a high fine and many of the company's executives went to jail. The owner of the company was sentenced to 5 years in prison."

Many members of the senior crew nodded when they heard this information. They had all heard about this in the press.

Bridger decided to say what all were thinking. "You only call it 'the company.' but you don't say its name. You mean Sheffield & Co., right?"

Lucas smiled briefly and nodded. "Yeah, the whole thing must have been really big if you heard about it on your island while you were playing Robinson Crusoe."

Bridger gave the teenager a small smile. It was good that the boy's sense of humour was still alive. "I think we've all heard about this; this was too big to _not _know about it." Now Nathan decided to ask the question that he was asking himself the whole time. "This whole thing is bad enough, but it isn't explaining why you are in the witness protection program. What else happened?" Nathan wanted to know exactly who had such a grudge against the teen that they wanted to kill him.

Lucas looked at the captain with sad eyes. "You are right. That explains nothing..." The teen thought for a moment. How should he tell them the rest? What he had just told them had been hard enough, but what would come now was a lot harder. The boy knew how much this would hurt. He didn't want to cry in front the others; he wasn't a small child anymore.

Lucas ran one hand nervously through his hair. "8 weeks after the trial, I got an anonymous e-mail. The text had just 5 words: "You will pay for this." That was all, and I didn't take the message seriously. I thought it was just a joke or a piece of junk mail. The next morning, Sean called me. He had gotten an anonymous phone call with the same 5 words. After that, I tried to trace the e-mail. Unfortunately, that didn't help much; the person who had sent the message routed it around the world a few times. When I found the computer where the e-mail had been send from, I discovered that it was in a, internet-café. So the whole thing made no difference."

"Did you go to the police?" asked Jonathan Ford.

"Yeah, we went there," said Lucas with a nod. "But they didn't take us seriously. They said that such things happened often because some kids thought these e-mails and phone calls were funny. It was just a coincidence that we had both gotten the message. The police just didn't want to worry about it."

"Didn't your parents help you?" asked the commander again.

"The Richards, I mean Sean's parents, did everything they could. But unfortunately, that didn't help. My parents didn't want to know about it. They said we would just make fools of ourselves."

"Did you contact the FBI?" Dr. Westphalen wanted to know.

The computer genius shook his head sadly. "No, we felt that it was enough that the police were laughing about us. Now, after everything that's happened, I know that we should have tried to contact the FBI. But at that time, we didn't think this far ahead." Feelings of guilt were coming through in the teen's voice.

Tim O'Neill looked closely at the teenager. Lucas' body language told him that the boy was incredibly uncomfortable. It looked like Lucas had something really terrible still to tell them. "And what happened after the threats?"

"Nothing happened, at first. We were already thinking that maybe the whole thing had truly been a joke and that it really was just a coincidence that we had both gotten the same message." Lucas pressed his lips together and looked up at the ceiling. It looked like he was trying not to cry. A few seconds later, he looked at the others again like nothing had happened. "One week later, my parents and I wanted to go to the theatre. Normally we didn't do things like that, but my father had been given three free tickets by a person he had driven in his taxi. My father and I waited in the car for my mother. When she got into the car, she realized that she had forgotten the tickets in the apartment. They started arguing immediately. I jumped out of the car to get the tickets and to get away from their arguing. We had a small apartment in a high-rise building. When I left the building, my father saw me and started the car because we were already late."

The crew looked eagerly at the boy, who was suddenly silent. Nobody wanted to interrupt Lucas, but at the moment it seemed like the teenager wouldn't start talking without some prompting.

Benjamin Krieg plucked up the courage. "What happened after that?"

Lucas looked at them with a blank expression on his face. "The car exploded. A bomb had been activated when my dad turned the key and started the engine. My parents were killed instantly."

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 /Translated Summer 2004


	14. Chapter 14

THE SECRET

Chapter 14

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to Alexis Rose, kas and dolphinology for their Reviews.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Lucas looked at them with a blank expression on his face. "The car exploded. A bomb had been activated when my dad turned the key and started the engine. My parents were killed instantly."

The crew looked at the teenager with shock and pity on their faces. But at the same time, they were wondering why the boy's face showed no emotion.

Captain Bridger could feel what Lucas had gone through and was still going through. Losing your family wasn't easy, and it didn't matter how good your relationship had been. But Nathan saw nothing good in the young man's life as he thought back to the talk they'd had on the balcony at Dr. Lawrence Wolenczak's party. The computer genius had told him that his best friend and his best friend's parents had died when their house burned down. That could only be Sean. Lucas has lost all the people closest to him.

Without prompting, the teenager went on with his story, his voice was frighteningly calm. "After that, the police took the threats seriously and suddenly I had no parents. It seems like something that bad always has to happen before the police can take action." Anger had started seeping into Lucas' words. But after a moment, he brought a mask of calm over his face. "The police were sure that the attempt with the car had been meant for me. If my mother hadn't forgotten the tickets, I would have been in the car also. The tickets were also a part of the whole thing. Now we knew for sure that the tickets had been given to my father on purpose so that I would be sitting in the car. They weren't just tickets given to my father by a friendly customer. They were part of the plan for killing my parents and me."

Lucas took a short pause, but continued after a couple of seconds so that nobody could interrupt him. "Because I was alone now, I was placed into something like a halfway house for minors who had lost their parents or had other problems. There were also 5 teachers who took turns being there for us. I was also protected by a policeman, and a police car was always parked in front of the Richards' house. But that didn't help Sean and his parents. 15 days after my parents died, they also died. Their whole house burned down. Sean and his parents were dead before the two policemen could help them."

The eyes of the crew got bigger and bigger. What had their youngest crew member gone through? Suddenly they saw Lucas in a different light. Now they didn't mind that the boy had been lying to them because they knew there was good a reason.

Captain Bridger, who was sitting next to the teenager, laid his hand on Lucas' shoulder in an effort to provide some sympathy and comfort.

The computer genius shook the hand off and looked at the captain with sad eyes. "Please don't!" he whispered. He couldn't bear any contact at the moment. It was hard enough not to cry. The teen knew that if somebody held him now, he would break down and wouldn't been able to stop the tears.

Bridger understood this.

Lucas took a deep breath; he wanted to get this over with. "The police called the FBI. They had the feeling that they couldn't handle it alone any longer. The FBI started an immediate investigation and shortly after, they traced the person responsible for the attempts."

"And who was it?" asked Chief Crocker. Everyone could imagine that the attempt had something to do with Sheffield & Co, but no one knew who the exect person was.

"Paul Sheffield, the son of the company's owner Kevin Sheffield. The FBI interrogated Kevin Sheffield and the truth came out during that. Paul wanted revenge for the things that Sean and I had done to his father. Kevin Sheffield had tried to stop his son, but he wasn't able to. He had no control over Paul. Kevin Sheffield told the FBI that Paul wouldn't stop until I was dead. The FBI acted right away, and the next day, I was in the witness protection program. Andy Lucas Braun became Lucas Wolenczak."

The young man looked at every member of the senior crew. Everyone looked at him with sympathy and understanding. No one threw accusations at Lucas because of everything that had happened. "The FBI changed my life, résumé, brought me from Florida to Boston, and put me with a new family. Luckily for me, I didn't need to change the way I looked. My hair had grown so much that I looked a bit different."

Bridger asked himself how much they had changed about Lucas' life besides his name and family. "What did the FBI change on your résumé?"

"A few things stayed the same. For example, I did graduate from Stanford. But they changed my name, place of birth, date of my birth, and my parents' names. They also changed my IQ and made it a bit lower. They thought it would be too conspicuous otherwise and people would find me because of that."

Nathan was speechless; Lucas' IQ was already quite high now, but if the FBI had made it lower, then that meant that the teenager's IQ was, in truth, even higher. Amazing! That was unbelievible. Suddenly, Bridger's thoughts backtracked. The blond boy had said that they had changed his date of birth. Maybe they had also changed the year of his birth? He remembered that the media had talked about two 14 and 15 year old hackers. If Lucas had been 15 at that time, and his birthday had been after that, then everything was okay. But if not? "Exactly how old are you?"

The teen looked down for a second. Then he lifted his eyes and looked at the captain. "14..."

A resounding "What!?" escaped Krieg's mouth. The admonishing looks he was getting from the others made him forget his next thought. "Sorry..."

Lucas gave Ben a nod and continued speaking. "The FBI said that they had to change my age. Finishing Stanford at 14 years was too outstanding; 16 years would be a little closer to normal, and they also said that I had to be 16 for what they had planned for me."

"And that was?" asked Miguel Ortiz, very interested at this point.

The computer genius looked at the sensor chief with a combination of irritation and amusement. "Can't you think of what that was?"

The Cuban man shook his head. "No."

"He is talking about the seaQuest," explained Lt. Cdr. Hitchcock.

Nathan Bridger clapped a hand to his forehead. "Of couse! Now things make more sense. Why didn't I see it before?"

Dr. Westphalen looked concernedly at the captain. "Everything alright with you?"

Bridger nodded. "Yes." Then, he looked at Lucas. "Lawrence Wolenczak wasn't really the person who organized your stay on the seaQuest; the FBI did it so that you would be safe. Admiral Noyce knew about the whole thing, and that's he told me some story about 'discipline problems.' The Vocorder is only top seret because the press and everyone else aren't allowed to know that you're here. You never leave the submarine or the hotels during shore leave so that you won't meet someone you know, and Paul Sheffield can't find you. And Dr. Wolenczak and you acted like strangers at the party because you really are strangers to each other!"

The young genius could only nod.

"But, there is one thing that I don't understand."

"And that is?" asked the teenager.

"Why did the FBI choose the Wolenczaks?"

Lucas nodded; he could understand this question. "The FBI wanted a family where one of the parents was a genius so that my IQ wouldn't be so shocking. On the other hand, they wanted a family with problems so that I didn't need to lie too much and the disguise would be easier for me. Lawrence and Cynthia Wolenczak seemed to understand each other as well as my real parents; the only difference was that these two did divorce. That kind of a family background made it easier for me to lie. I could use the easiest kind of a lie: tell the truth but leave out the essential. That my parents couldn't stand each other was true, but I actually never said that my parents were the Wolenczaks."

Commander Ford had spoken with Lawrence Wolenczak at the party and during the conversation, he had gotten an impression about the scientist. "How did the FBI manage to get Dr. Wolenczak agree to everything? He doesn't act like a person who does anything for someone without thinking about the benefit to himself."

The boy nodded. "You are right, Commander. Lawrence Wolenczak didn't agree to this of his free will. The FBI had thought of the Wolenczaks immediately because the doctor had a little problem with the law. He evaded taxes and quite a lot too. So the FBI made a deal; the Wolenczaks would become my family, the little tax problem would disappear, and the press would never know about it. Dr. Wolenczak agreed to the deal pretty quickly, as I'm sure you can imagine."

"And what about Cynthia Wolenczak? After all, the whole disguise doesn't work without her," said Dr. Westphalen.

The young man shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what happened with her exactly. I just know that her alimony from Dr. Wolenczak was raised quite a bit, and in exchange for that, she tells everyone that I'm her son."

The teenager knew that he had to get the discussion back on track if he wanted to finish this today. "I stayed at Dr. Wolenczak's villa for about two weeks. The FBI contacted Admiral Noyce and told him a little bit about me. The FBI believed that there was no other place on the earth where I would be safer and harder to find than the seaQuest. The admiral's task was to tell you that I was Lawrence Wolenczak's son and that he had put me on the seaQuest because of a few disciplinary problems. And as you see, that has worked quite well until now."

No one could deny that fact. In recent days, Bridger had thought about Lucas a lot, but he would have never imagined such a story.

Lucas' eyes travelled from one face to the next. "I'm really sorry that I lied to you all, but I had to do it. It's bothered my conscience and the whole thing has not been easy for me. When I started to get to know you all better, I realized that I could trust you. But I couldn't, and most of all I wasn't allowed, to tell you the truth. Everything that's happened in the past few days has changed this. I don't know how he's done it, but Paul Sheffield has found out my new identity and where I am. The car accident with the cut brakes, and the second one where the car had hit me, wasn't an accident. He wants to kill me. If I want to stay safe, I need your help. But there's something more important. You have always treated me fairly and have given me your friendship. You have earned the truth - I just can't tell you how sorry I am about the lies. Can you forgive me?"

Everyone was silent. How could they answer that?

* * *

To Be Continued....

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	15. Chapter 15

THE SECRET

Chapter 15

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis _

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to KatKnits00, sara, dolphinology, kas7 and Alexis Rose for their reviews. Thank you all for your wonderful words, you made my day. Here is the update you have all waited for.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Everyone was silent. How could they answer that? All this time, Lucas had carried his burden alone. And now he was apologizing for it?

Chief Crocker shook his head. "No, Lucas, there is no excuse for this." The teenager looked down guiltily. "What is there to excuse yourself for? That you did what you had to do? No, you don't need to apologize for that."

The youngest crew member lifted his head and looked around. "That means... that you forgive me?"

All were nodding. The red-haired doctor was smiling warmly. "I think we already did when you started speaking."

Benjamin Krieg nodded. He had been the one in the beginning who had asked if the teenager had lied to them and it hadn't sound so friendly. Now he felt bad; he knew the boy, or he thought that he knew him, and could see easily how hard everything was for him. "We are the ones who should be sorry, not you! You're one of my best friends. I have spent a lot of time with you without noticing that you have a problem. What does that say about me? What does that say about all of us? For god's sake, what kind of great friends are we who don't realize that a person among us has a problem? We are the ones who should ask you to forgive us!"

Silence invaded the wardroom. The supply and moral officer had said exactly what they were all thinking. Nobody knew that Ben had that in him. Nobody expected him to give that speech. But on the other hand, he was Lucas' best friend after Darwin.

Katie Hitchcock looked closely at Krieg. Was this the man she had married and later divorced?

Lucas felt like he would start crying in a few seconds. Nobody was accusing him, and they were even forgiving him for his lies. It was like a big weight rolling off his shoulders. He didn't know what to say. The only thing he was able to manage was a soft "Thank you."

Captain Bridger saw how the teenager was feeling, knew how much the young man hated showing his emotions in public. Why did most male teenagers think that crying was embarrassing? It wasn't a sign of weekness. If Lucas started crying now, he would always berate himself for it. For that reason, the captain decided to change the subject a little bit. "Does the FBI know about the two accidents you just had?"

The blond boy gave Bridger a thankful look, knowing what Nathan was doing. He shook his head. "No."

"Why not?" asked Ortiz.

"Because I haven't told them."

Tim O'Neill adjusted his glasses as he looked questioningly at the teen. "And why haven't you told the FBI about them?"

The computer genius didn't need to think of an answer to that. "Because I don't want to!"

Nathan Bridger groaned inwardly. That was typical Lucas; the boy's mood could change in seconds. Only a moment before, the words were flying out of his mouth, and now, they had to drag the answers out of the teen. Maybe the teenager had developed this behaviour because of everything that had happened to him. Another explantation for it might have been puberty. The nicest children could turn into little monsters with mood swings big enough to make waves in the ocean. And now that they knew Lucas was 14 and not 16, it meant that he was going through puberty. It seemed a very likely explantation. Sometimes Bridger had been glad that he hadn't seen his son Robert to often at this stage because he had been at sea. But he could remember the 'horror' stories that Carol had told.

His thoughts were going off on tangents. "Why don't you want to tell the FBI about the car accidents?"

Lucas was thinking about how to answer the questions so that he wouldn't be misunderstood. "As soon as I tell the FBI about this, they will know that Paul Sheffield knows where I am. They'll take me off the seaQuest faster than you can blink. But I don't want to leave! In the short time I've been here, I've found a home. I don't want to loose it! I don't want to be constantly moving from one place to the other, always living in fear. I'm so fed up with this! I want to stay here, and if Paul finds me here, then it's my tough luck, but I will have lived the way I wanted to! Who can guarantee me that he won't get me at another place as easily as here? Nobody can! I want to stay on the seaQuest!" His vehement tone dared anyone to contradict him.

Captain Bridger was speechless, and he had the feeling that he was going to be for the whole day. One surprise followed another. He was getting too old for this. And why did the boy have to be right? Unfortunately, he could understand and comprehend Lucas' feelings. Nathan felt torn up inside. One part of him wanted the teenager to stay on the seaQuest and protect him by himself, and the other part wanted to put the teen on the next airplane out of the country. If Lucas had to change his identity again, he would never hear from the boy and always worry about him.

"Okay, Lucas, you can stay here. But only on one condition..."

Half of the senior crew looked at their captain in shock; he couldn't mean that seriously? It was much too dangerous to allow the teenager to stay there. The other half of the crew could understand Bridger. They felt that they were the people who could best protect the young genius. And what Lucas had said hit them in their hearts. It was the teenager's dearest wish to stay on the seaQuest, and they should make it happen, even if it probably wouldn't be the smartest thing.

The computer genius didn't believe his ears; had Bridger really said what he thought he said? He was allowed to stay here? "What's the condition?"

"That you will contact the FBI and talk everything over with them."

The blond boy thought about the captain's offer. The whole thing sounded fair. But on the other hand, he didn't have a big desire to talk with Andrews. The FBI wouldn't be happy about the fact that he was contacting them so late. Lucas should have done it right after the first 'accident.' But at the time, he hadn't been sure if the attemp had been meant for him. It could have also have been meant for the admiral or the captain. "Okay, I will call the FBI today."

Bridger nodded. "You can use the Vidphone in the wardroom." Nathan gave the rest of his crew a nod.

The senior crew understood what the captain had meant and stood up. One by one they left the room, but not without giving the boy an encouraging look.

After a few moments, the captain and the teenager were the only ones left in the wardroom. "Do you want me to stay or do you want to do this alone?"

The young man knew that the call wouldn't be easy; he didn't need another person putting their two cents in, even if it was to help him. "It will be easier if I'm alone."

Bridger nodded and stood up. "Good. Am I right in thinking that you don't need O'Neill's help to get the call through?"

Lucas smiled. "Yeah, you're right."

When he got to the doorway, the captain turned around. "You know, my door is always open for you. Come and tell me when your call is over and how it went."

The teenager nooded, a few strands of hair falling in his face. "I will. And Captain! Thanks."

The last word wasn't because of the offer of an open door, and Bridger knew it. The thanks meant a lot more.

Nathan closed the door behind him and went into the direction of the bridge.

When Bridger rounded the first corner, Dr. Westphalen was blocking his way. Her hands were on her hips. "Nathan Hale Bridger, what were you thinking?"

The captain gave her his most inocent look. "What do you mean?" Sometimes feigning ignorance could help to calm the doctor down, but this time, Nathan's attempt had the opposite effect. He cursed himself for even trying it. Why did that tactic ever only work with Lucas? How did the boy do it? Bridger had often seen Lucas use this tactic with Kristen without fail. Nathan groaned inwardly; he had forgotten something important - the big puppy eyes that Lucas always put on. No wonder it wasn't working.

"Don't fool with me, you know exactly what I mean! You can't allow Lucas to stay here; it is too dangerous for him!" Anger was glowing in her eyes.

Bridger nodded. He could understand her feelings. One part of him said exactly the same. But the other part was saying something different and that part won. "I know how you feel, Kristen. A part of me wants to send him to a safe place as soon as possible. I would stay with him there if he wanted it. But you heard what he said. He wants to stay here, with all of us on the seaQuest. He has lost so much in his life - do you want him to lose his new home? I can't do that to him, and I know that you can't do it either. We all want him to be safe, but Lucas is right. Who can say where he will be the safest? He is an unbelievable person, and he knows exactly what he wants. Do you want to tell him that he can't stay on the seaQuest?"

The red-haired woman shook her head. No, she didn't want that. Tears were welling in her eyes and running down her cheeks.

Captain Bridger took her in his arms in an effort to comfort her, but at the moment, he really needed someone who would comfort him and tell him that he had made the right decision. Nathan would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to Lucas while he was on the seaQuest. But sending Lucas away was against the boy's wishes, and that was something that he couldn't bring himself to do. He couldn't ignore the young man's desire. If it was Lucas' wish to stay on the seaQuest and spend the rest of his life here, then Nathan would make it happen.

Bridger thought back at a line from the book "The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer," written by Sergio Bambaren. _"There will come a time in life where you have no other choice than going your own way."_

Maybe the time had come for Lucas. Finally the boy had to be allowed to make his own decisions. Nobody could dictate to him what he had to do with his life. Not the FBI or anyone else. The teenager had to decide by himself, and the result would be that he would be going his own way. And when this decision meant that Lucas would stay on the seaQuest, than that would be his way.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	16. Chapter 16

THE SECRET

Chapter 16

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (JosephFiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

_One by one_

_Only the good die young_

_They're only flyin' too close to the sun_

_And life goes on –_

_Without you..._

_One by one_

_Only the good die young_

_They're only flyin' too close to the sun_

_We'll remember -Forever..._

_One by one_

_Only the good die young_

_They're only flyin' too close to the sun_

_Cryin' for nothing _

_Cryin' for no-one_

_No-one but you_

_( "No One But You - Only The Good Die Young" by Queen)_

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to KatKnits00, dolphinology, Darkness Amber and kas for their reviews.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

For 5 minutes Lucas had been staring at the Vidphone without moving. Finally, he stood up and dialled the number; waiting any longer would not help him with this. A friendly face of a brown-haired man of around 40 appeared on the screen. When he recognized the teenager, his face took on a series expression. "Has something happened Andy?" Agent Andrews had given Lucas this number in case of emergencies. This Vidphone call couldn't be anything good.

The teen nodded. "Paul Sheffield knows where I am."

Andrews angrily banged the palm of his hand on the table. "Shit!" His glance fell on the cast on the boy's arm. "Does the broken arm have something to do with this?" Lucas nodded. David Andrews observed the boy closely. "Tell me everything that's happened, from the beginning."

The computer genius, who had been standing in front of the Vidphone until now, sat down on a chair. "About 2 weeks ago, the seaQuest had shore leave. We were near Dr. Wolenczak's villa, so I spent my shore leave there."

Andrews nodded; that was something that they had talked over with the boy. When they had explained about the witness protection program to the teenager, they had impressed upon the genius that he had to spend his leave on the seaQuest. If that wasn't possible, he should stay into a hotel near the seaQuest. But, he would not be allowed to leave his hotel. The only exception to the rule was when they where near his so called "parents." Then he would live at his parents' house so that none of the crew would get suspicious.

Lucas continued the story. "They day we arrived, Dr. Wolenczak gave a party. The senior crew of the seaQuest was invited. I left the party as soon as possible and went to my room. I didn't know anyone at the party besides the senior crew, and I think everyone really believed that I was Lawrence's son. I had to be there at the beginning of the party; I couldn't avoid it."

The FBI agent nodded at the teenager; he understood that this was something he couldn't have avoided. "And what happened after that?"

"The next day I had to go to UEO headquarters. I had a meeting with the computer people. I had to describe to them what kind of changes I had made to the computer system on the seaQuest, and they showed me a few new programs that they wanted me to install on the seaQuest. Admiral Noyce made sure that I only had met with two people from the computer department to minimize the risk. When I was ready and wanted to go, I met Captain Bridger and Admiral Noyce in one of the hallways. They wanted to go to a nearby restaurant to eat something, and Noyce invited me to come with them. First I tried to say no, but finally I went to eat with them."

Agent Andrews didn't look happy about that; just the opposite, he looked furious. "You know very well that you are not allowed to do something like that! We have talked about this!"

Lucas put on his "rebellious teenager" face. "I didn't think about that! I thought it was alright when the invitation came from the admiral. And besides, I was hungry, and I don't always want to play hide and seek."

David Andrews looked enraged at the boy. "The admiral's offer wasn't acceptable and you know that. Someone with your IQ can tell difference without problems. And this 'hide and seek game' is there to save your life!"

"Damn, I know that I made a mistake. You don't need to rub my nose in it. Can I go on now?" asked Lucas angrily.

The brown-haired man nodded.

"Lunch went normal, but during the drive back, the car's brakes failed. We flew around the bend, broke through the barrier, and rolled the car over a few times."

"And that's how you broke your arm?" Andrews wanted to know.

The young man shook his head. "No, that happened later."

The FBI agent lifted his eyebrows but decided to say nothing.

"We were all quite lucky; the captain and I got away with a few scratches, and the admiral had to stay in the hospital for one day because of a concussion. The police didn't find out a lot other than that the brakes had been cut and that it wasn't an accident. The police believed that the attempt was meant for the admiral or the captain. I'm sure the police will give you the file without problems." The boy had said this last sentence very quietly, but Andrews had no problem understanding it.

The FBI agent tried his best not to start screaming immediately but wasn't very successful. "What were you thinking telling me about this so late!? You say that this happened two weeks ago, and you're just contacting me now!? Were you even thinking!? Damn it Andy, what is the matter with you!?!"

Lucas hated being screamed at. He knew that Andrews was normally a nice guy, but unfortunately he could get really angry really fast if something wasn't going the way he wanted. David always wanted to have everything under control.

"Nothing is wrong with me. I just didn't worry too much about it, okay? The attempt _could_ have been meant for Noyce or Bridger. I just didn't want to call you and concern you unnecessarily."

The FBI agent shook his head sadly. "Especially from you I expected otherwise; I thought you had learned your lesson the last time."

The teenager turned his eyes up and bit his lip.

Just now David realized his mistake. "I'm sorry Andy, I didn't mean that. I shouldn't have said that…" Andrews knew that the boy blamed himself for the deaths of his parents, Sean, and the Richards. When the police hadn't taken Andy and Sean seriously about the threats, they hadn't contacted the FBI for fear of looking stupid. If they had made contact, maybe their deaths could have been prevented. Andrews knew that Andy couldn't forgive himself for that mistake.

Two blue eyes looked sadly at the brown-haired man. "Why did you say it then?"

"I'm sorry Andy, okay?" David Andrews felt uncomfortable; he wasn't good in such delicate situations. He needed to change the topic, and fast. "And how did you break your arm?"

"On the last day of shore leave, Benjamin Krieg called me. Ben is the supply and moral officer of the seaQuest. He told me that the senior crew wanted to meet in the evening to go to a restaurant and invited me to go along. You know, I just couldn't say no. He had called every day to do something with me. But I always told that I couldn't and made up excuses just like every shore leave. But this time, I couldn't do it. I would have made him and the others suspicious. I also had the feeling that the captain was already curious about my behaviour," said Lucas.

Andrews nodded in understanding; he could follow the teenager's logic even though he had made a mistake with it.

The blond boy continued. "Dr. Wolenczak's chauffeur drove me near to where we would meet. When the road seemed to be empty, I crossed it to get to the others. But suddenly a car appeared out of nowhere. I couldn't move. Then the car hit me, and I was taken to the hospital with a broken arm. I was unconscious for two days. When I got back to the seaQuest, I slept nearly the whole first day, and after that, Dr. Westphalen wouldn't release me. Finally, she let me go this morning. Shortly after that, Bridger came to see me. He wanted to know the truth. He knew that something was wrong, and the two car accidents weren't really accidents."

"Have you told him?" asked the FBI agent.

Lucas nodded. "Yes and not only him. I told the whole senior crew the truth." The teenager could see that Andrews wasn't so happy about this. "You don't need to scream at me. I know that I can trust these people. And whatever you're going to say now, it won't change anything, and it can't undo anything. I had to make a decision, and I did. It was the right thing to do."

The brown-haired man closed his eyes and counted from 1 to 10 to calm himself. "Okay, you are right. I will not yell at you because of this. I will also not yell at you because you said yes to Lt. Krieg's offer. You know that you shouldn't have done it, and that's all I will say about that. That whole thing isn't important. The big mistake was when you said yes to the admiral's invitation. Paul Sheffield must have seen you then."

Suddenly the teenager's expression changed. The FBI agent saw it immediately. In this job, he had learned to observe people's body language very closely. "What's up? What are you thinking about?"

"I think I might have overlooked something this whole time. I told you that I had a meeting with two people from the UEO's computer division."

Andrews nodded. "Yes."

"One of them, his name is Ryan Taylor, looked so strangely at me in the beginning. I thought it was because he expected someone older than me. That happens to me a lot. But shortly after that, Ryan excused himself for a moment and said that he had to make an important call. When he came back, he seemed kind of nervous, but I didn't think a lot of it at the time. But what if he was the one who contacted Paul Sheffield? What if he called Paul and told him where I am and who I am now?" asked Lucas, worry written all over his face.

David Andrews frowned, wrinkles creasing his forehead. "That could be possible. I'll check this out and notify one of our people about it." Andrews turned to his computer for a moment and typed something in it. "You have to get off the seaQuest immediately and go somewhere else. Can you ask the captain if someone could bring you to the mainland in a shuttle so we pick you up there?"

Lucas shook his head. "No!"

The FBI agent nodded. "Okay, no problem. We will pick you up from the seaQuest ourselves."

The teenager shook his head emphatically. "No! You don't understand; I will not leave the seaQuest!"

Andrews looked at the genius, annoyance clearly shown on his face. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said – I'm staying here!" said the teen insistently.

David shook his head. "I don't think you understand what is going on. Paul Sheffield knows where you are. You are not longer safe on the submarine. He's tried to kill you twice in the last two weeks. He won't hesitate to try for a third time."

Lucas nodded. "I know."

"All you can think to say is 'I know'? You can't be serious; you can't stay on the seaQuest!"

"I'm totally serious. I will stay here. It's my life we are talking about. I don't always want to hide. I like it here. Besides, you were the one that said the seaQuest would be the safest place for me. I don't think that anything can really happen to me as long as I'm here. Nobody can get on the boat without someone noticing. And if that happens, then it will be my problem and not yours. This is my life!" said the teenager, totally convinced.

The FBI agent groaned. "I don't think either of us will agree on a decision right now. I have my arguments, and you have yours. I think it would be the best if we end this call, and I will talk with the others about this."

Lucas nodded. "Okay."

"Good, I will call you back later." And with those words, Andrews finished the conversation.

The computer genius sat in the wardroom for a few moments and looked at the blank screen. After some time, he grabbed his Pal.

"Bridger," came the voice threw the orange gadget.

"Hi, it's me, Lucas. You wanted to know how the call went."

"Yes. And?"

The blond genius shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Andrews and I had a difference of opinion. He'll call me again later."

"Okay. Everthing alright with you?" asked the captain, concerned.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, sure. Lucas out."

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004

* * *

Jonathan Brandis

13.4.1976 - 12.11.2003

I Miss You

* * *

_As the rainbow faded, _

The Albatross came

And he carried me with gentle wing strokes

Far away over the seven oceans.

He carefully put me at the edge of the light.

I went inside and felt safe.

I haven't left you.

I'm just a few steps ahead.


	17. Chapter 17

THE SECRET

Chapter 17

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (JosephFiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to KatKnits00 and dolphinology for their reviews.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

A few minutes later Lucas was sitting alone in his cabin, staring at the Aqua Tube. At the moment, his biggest wish was to swim with Darwin. Being honest with himself, he realized that he had a bad feeling because of the talk with Andrews. Who knew if he would be able to stay on the seaQuest any longer? Maybe he would never have the chance to swim with Darwin again. The computer genius took out his Pal. 

"Dr. Westphalen here."

"Hi, it's me, Lucas. I wanted to ask you if I could swim with Darwin?"

First the doctor wanted to say no, but she stopped herself. She had heard the silent pleading in the teenager's voice. It seemed like it was very important for the boy. Kristin thought about it. Today it would be no problem if a cast got wet, but swimming was something else. The problem wasn't the water but the weight of the cast. In addition, it would take some time for the cast to dry; Lucas would be walking around for a couple of hours with a wet cast. She didn't want him to catch cold.

"Please?" the young man asked again.

The red-haired woman couldn't say no to the boy. It sounded so important to him. "Okay Lucas, but be careful."

"Thanks!"

"Come to me when you've got your wetsuit on. I'll wrap something around the cast so it won't get wet. "

* * *

Nearly 15 minutes later, the teenager was in the Moon Pool. The dolphin was especially careful with the boy because he knew and felt that Lucas was hurting. But it wasn't only the physical injury; the dolphin also felt that Lucas was hurting inside. He felt that his human friend was unbelievably sad. 

Darwin nudged the teenager's side gently with his nose. "Lucas sad?"

The young man smiled sadly. The dolphin always knew what he was feeling. Most of the time, they didn't need words. There had been some nights when the teen hadn't been able to sleep, and he had just sat on the edge of the Moon Pool, looking into the water, and Darwin had kept him company. On other nights, they had talked or played with each other. "Yes, I'm sad."

"Why?" asked the animal.

Lucas thought about. How could he best explain this to his wet friend? "Because, it's possible that I may have to leave the seaQuest."

"Why leave? Lucas want to go?" The teenager could have sworn that the mechanical voice generated by the Vocoder sounded sad.

The blond boy shook his head. "No, I don't want to go away. But maybe I have to." He stroked the dolphin that was swimming in front of him on the melon. "There is a man who wants to kill me. And because of him, I might have to go."

"Bad man. Darwin and Bridger help Lucas!"

The young man shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately you can't help me with this."

For a moment, the dolphin said nothing. It looked like he was thinking. "Darwin sad too."

"Thanks, Fishface…"

Suddenly, the dolphin splashed the boy. "Swim. Make sadness go away."

Lucas smiled. "Yeah, that's a good idea." With his uninjured right hand the boy held onto Darwin's dorsal fin, and the animal towed him through the water.

After a few rounds, the dolphin stopped and floated directly next to the teen. Lucas leaned against him and laid his head on the dolphin's skin. Finally he let the tears come that he had been holding back all day. Tears for his parents' deaths, for Sean and Sean's parents. Tears for the feelings of guilt and helplessness he felt.

Darwin stayed with him the whole time and comforted the boy in his own special way. He didn't need words. Dolphins have other talents.

* * *

One hour later, Lucas was sitting again in the wardroom speaking with Andrews. The teenager felt calmer and more relaxed than before. Darwin always had that effect on him. 

Andrews looked the boy in the eye. He had a bad feeling about everything. Sometimes he really hated his job, but someone had to do it. "I have spoken with the others, and we've come to a decision."

"And that would be?" asked Lucas nervously. Andrews' body language wasn't giving him any positive signs.

"There is no way that you can stay on the seaQuest. It doesn't matter if you want to or not."

"But why can't I stay?" the young man asked defiantly. "It's my life, not yours, and I should be the one who decides what to do with it."

The FBI agent groaned. Lucas wasn't making this easy. He had just one last trump in his hands, and if it didn't work, he wouldn't know what to do. He hated himself for what he was about to say. The idea wasn't his; it came from one of his co-workers. In fact, aside from Andrews himself, all the other FBI agents had liked the idea. They were convinced that this would work. David Andrews also thought that it would work, but he didn't think it was fair to the teenager. "Andy, we are not only talking about your life."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Just imagine Paul Sheffield making an attempt on the seaQuest, and the other crew members are hurt, or even killed, but you get lucky; you survive. The others would blame you for it. Could you handle that? But more importantly, do you think you could handle your own guilt?"

Lucas looked down. His voice was just a whisper. "No…" The whole time Andrews had been right. He couldn't stay on the seaQuest. He had been so selfish; he had only thought about himself. He had enough feelings of guilt pressing down on him already. Why hadn't he thought of the others? When had he turned into this egotistical person? He hadn't been like this in the past. Or had he?

The FBI agent interrupted the young man's thoughts. "You agree that you can't stay on the seaQuest?"

The computer genius only nodded as an answer.

David nodded in satisfaction. "Good. We have decided that we won't pick you up this evening. This way you will have enough time to pack your things and to say good bye to your friends. I will call Captain Bridger and ask that a shuttle get you to the harbour at 11 o'clock."

Again, Lucas only nodded.

"Okay, see you tomorrow. Bye Andy."

"Bye."

The screen of the Vidphone turned black.

* * *

To Be Continued... 

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	18. Chapter 18

THE SECRET

Chapter 18

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

****

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (JosephFiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to Darkness Amber, KatKnits00, dolphinology, kas and Simon for their Reviews.

Darkness Amber: Thanks. Yes, Paul Sheffield is evil!

KatKnits00: Thanks. You are right, it's mean of the Agents to say that.

dolphinology: Thanks. I do what I have to do.

kas: Thanks for your kind words.

Simon: Thanks for the Info.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

A few minutes later, Lucas went back to his cabin, lost in his thoughts. He felt numb. He opened the door and closed it behind him. He sat down on his bed slowly, his gaze wandering around the room.

This would be his last evening on the seaQuest. He would probably never see any of this again. Suddenly, his glance stopped on the table. Sitting there was a brand new laptop computer.

The teenager stood up and took a closer look at it. It was exactly the same model that had been destroyed in the car accident. This laptop had newer programs than his old computer. This laptop was much better and faster. And, it had to be more expensive. Lucas could well remember how long he had had to save his money and the jobs he had done to get enough money for the computer.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" said the teen without lifting his eyes from the laptop.

Nathan Bridger stepped into the cabin. "Oh, I see, you've already found your present."

The blond boy looked questioningly at the captain. "My present?"

Bridger nodded. "Yes, it's a present from Admiral Noyce. It came today with the supplies. The admiral thought that it was impossible for a computer specialist to work without his own computer." A smile spread over his whole face as he spoke. Nathan knew how computer-crazy the teenager was. Bridger didn't tell Lucas that he had been the one to give his old friend Bill the motivation to buy the present. The captain had also paid half of the price of the laptop. But, he had the feeling that it was better if he mention that. It would be easier for the teenager to accept the computer if it sounded work related and not as a present from the captain.

Lucas sat down on the edge of his bed and look sadly at the captain. "Then you can send the computer back."

"Excuse me?" asked Bridger, shocked. He had expected Lucas to be very happy about the gift. Okay, maybe in the beginning he had expected a little bit shyness from the teenager - feelings that he couldn't accept such an expensive gift - but he hadn't imagined a refusal.

"It seems that Andrews hasn't called you yet. I am not the chief computer analyst of the seaQuest anymore. I'm leaving the boat tomorrow."

Captain Bridger sat down hard on Lucas' desk chair. "But...I thought you wanted to stay here."

The teenager shook his head. "Yes, I wanted to in the beginning. I've just spoken to Andrews again, and I've changed my mind. I'm leaving the seaQuest tomorrow morning. The FBI will call you about all of this."

Bridger had the feeling that this wasn't strictly the young man's decision; it sounded like someone else had made this decision for the boy or had said something to change his mind. "And what brought about this sudden change of mind?"

The computer genius shrugged. "I just rethought the whole thing and looked at it from a different point of few."

"And other point of view was that?" asked Nathan.

Lucas was silent.

The captain realized that he wouldn't get an answer to his question, so he decided to return to the previous topic. "You can take the computer with you." As he saw the teen start to protest, he continued. "Even if you want to leave us, the laptop is yours. It was a present, and you don't give presents back. That's the end of it, and I don't want to hear another word about it. The laptop belongs to you."

"Thank you…"

"Don't thank me; just send the admiral an e-mail and thank _him_. That way, he'll also see that you're making good use of the present." Bridger took a short pause. "We will all miss you very much. It won't be the same without you."

Lucas looked down. "I'll miss you all too…" The teenager felt like he had a lump in his throat.

"Do you know yet where they're going to take you?"

The computer genius shrugged. "No, I have no idea. And if I knew, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you." Both were silent for a moment, each lost in his thoughts. After some time, Lucas began to speak. "Do you think we'll ever see each other again?"

Bridger nodded. He wasn't really sure about any of this, but he wanted to encourage the boy. "Of course we will see each other again. The FBI or the police will catch Paul Sheffield and arrest him. Then you won't have a reason to hide anymore, and you can live the way you want. And I hope you'll call me if that happens, otherwise I will be really ticked off!"

Lucas smiled. "As soon as the whole thing is over, you will be the first to know."

Bridger was glad that the teen's mood was a little lighter now, but Nathan felt differently inside. He already missed Lucas terribly. He hadn't been lying a few moments ago; the seaQuest wouldn't be the same anymore.

The captain looked closely at the boy. "Promise?"

The young man smiled. "Promise!"

* * *

After talking with Lucas, Captain Bridger walked thoughtfully back to his cabin. Now everything was final. The teenager would leave them and they would sadly watch him go.

He knew that this fact would affect the whole senior crew and not only himself.

Until now, Nathan had hoped that Lucas would stay on the seaQuest. In the short time they know each other, Bridger had developed fatherly feelings for the boy. He couldn't make those feelings go away so easily; he would miss the young man very much.

Again, Bridger had to think of an excerpt from the book "The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer". If he remembered it correctly, the quote went: "Maybe love means learning to let sombody go, to know when it's time to say goodbye. Not to let our feelings stand in the way of that, what would be, in the end, the best for the ones we love."

The quote suited the situation perfectly. He loved Lucas, and deep down he knew that he had to let the boy go. But the selfish voice in him said that he didn't want to lose the teenager, that he didn't want to say goodbye. He wished that Lucas would stay on the seaQuest.

But, he realized, his feelings of wanting the teen to stay would make everything more difficult for the genius. It probably was the right for the boy would go; he wouldn't be in any more danger than he had on the seaQuest.

Bridger had to try to push his feelings down and not make it harder for the teenager to say goodbye. He just hoped that he was doing the right thing by letting Lucas go.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	19. Chapter 19

**THE SECRET**

Chapter 19

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

****

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to dolphinology, Syeern, Jessica Everling, kas7 and Vampy for their Reviews. Thanks for your kind words.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

The next morning, Lucas was leaning against the edge of the Moon Pool; he had been saying goodbye to Darwin for the last few minutes.

"Darwin miss Lucas!"

The teeanger stroked the dolphin's melon for the last time. "I'll miss you too. Bye Darwin!"

The teenager then turned and followed the captain to the docking bay. Bridger put an encouraging arm around the boy's shoulders. When they arrived at the docking bay, Nathan took the arm away so that Lucas could say goodbye to the others.

The whole senior crew was waiting there to say goodbye to their young friend; none of them looked happy. All were standing around, a bit unsure of what to do. No one wanted to make the first goodbye. Finally, Commander Ford went over to Lucas. "Listen to what the FBI says. They're pros at their jobs and know what to do." The teenager nodded. Ford gave him his hand in farewell. "Take care."

Again the young man nodded. He felt so strange. He hated big goodbyes. "I'll try my best."

The next one to step up was Crocker. "Keep a stiff upper lip. And remember, always a hand bread water under the keel." _(I don't know if everybody understands what Crocker says. It is a saying that we use in germany.)_

Lucas smiled. Only Chief Crocker could think of something like that. "I won't forget it."

To the teenager's surprise, Manilow Crocker gave him a short hug.

Katie Hitchcock also hugged the teen. The computer genius smiled at her. "Promise me that you will keep working on the Stinger."

The woman nodded. "I will, but it's a Gazzelle!"

The blond boy shook his head emphatically. "No, it's a Stinger. And if I hear that you have built the Stinger and called it Gazzelle, I will come out from wherever I'm hiding and tell the whole world that it is a Stinger!"

"Okay," said Lt. Cdr. Hitchcock.

Now Lucas turned to Tim and Miguel, who were standing next to each other. "Take care of Ben and watch out for him so that he won't do anything stupid, like blow up the seaQuest."

Both men nodded. O'Neill was the first one to speak. "Don't send us e-mails or anything like that, okay?"

"Why not? I know how to send an untraceable e-mail," said Lucas.

The man with the glasses shook with his head. "No, it's too dangerous. If Paul Sheffield somehow found out, we would always blame ourselves for it. Promise me that you won't do it." He knew that if the teenager made a promise, he would keep it. A word of honor was unbreakable.

The young man lifted his hand and nodded. "I swear, and I won't break it!"

O'Neill smiled. "Good!"

Ortiz nodded in agreement to everything. "But call us as soon as everything is over. The minute Paul Sheffield is arrested, we want to hear how you are."

The blond teen nodded. Then, he spoke to both of them and included Ben. "Take care of Darwin for me and play with him from time to time. But Ben, I warn you, if you do anything to the Vocoder, I will hear about it. And if that happens, you will never hear the end of it. You'll wish that I wouldn't have come out of hidding!" He had spoken these words in a serious, and yet somehow teasing, tone of voice.

Ben knew too well what Lucas meant. Some time ago, he had taken the batteries out of the Vocorder just to annoy the teenager; it had just been meant as a joke. But the Vocorder hadn't taken it so well, and Lucas had needed half a night to fix the mistakes in the program. The young genius had been totaly pissed at Ben and hadn't spoken one word to him for a whole week. Krieg had tried to tell the teen all kinds of jokes to get him to laugh, but the boy's face had shown no emotion. Normally Lucas was pretty forgiving, but when it came to his computer or the Vocorder, that was different territory. The supply and moral officer had probably apologized about the Vocorder a 1000 times. "I promise you that I won't touch your Vocorder or even dare to look at it."

The computer genius scrutinized him for a moment. "For your sake I hope so."

Krieg then held a square envelope out to the boy. "Take this." The crew looked mistrustfully at the lieutenant. They always had to be very careful with his gifts.

Ben noticed the looks on their faces. "Don't worry, it's nothing illegal, nothing dangerous and 100 percent youth-friendly!"

Lucas took the envelope, smiling. "Thanks! What is it?"

"Open it later in the shuttle, and you'll find out."

"Okay," said Lucas and put the gift in the pocket of the jeans jacket he was wearing.

Krieg hugged the boy and whisperd something in his ear. "Whoever you are, Lucas or Andy, this doesn't change anything between us." Then he let go of the teen.

The blond boy bit down on his lip. "Thanks Ben. I think you know how much that means to me."

The last person to approach Lucas was Dr. Westphalen. Captain Bridger had decided to bring the teenager to the harbour personally. He would say goodbye to the boy there.

The red-haired doctor wiped the tears out of her eyes and hugged the boy for a long time. "Remember to eat propaply. At least three meals each day. And don't sit in front of the computer the whole day." She knew that her words fell on deaf ears, but nevertheless, she said them. When Lucas sat in front of his computer, he forgot the whole word around him, and he had to be force fed. No wonder the boy was always so thin. "I will miss you!"

"I'll miss you too. Please take care of the Vocorder." Kristin nodded and let go of the boy.

Captain Bridger looked at his watch and turned to Lucas. "We have to go now."

The computer genius nodded and followed the captain to the shuttle. His luggage was already inside the mini-sub. Before the teenager got inside, he turned around to face his friends for the last time. He burned the picture into his memory and tried to feel every part of the moment as strongly as he could. Maybe this would be the last time that he _ever_ saw his friends. Then, Lucas dissapeared into the shuttle.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	20. Chapter 20

THE SECRET

Chapter 20

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

****

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to Jessica. Dolphinology, jaydedangel73, kas7 for their Reviews.

Jessica: Thanks for your Review and your kind words.

dolphinology: Thanks for the Review. This chapter will tell what is inside of Bens present to Lucas.

jaydedangel73: Thanks for your Review. It's really great to hear when people like my stories. It means a lot to me.

kas7: Thanks for your Review. Yeah, it's sad.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Captain Bridger and Lucas were already 10 minutes away from the seaQuest when the teenager remembered Ben's envelope. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, opened the envelope carefully, and pulled out what was inside. There was a CD and a letter. Slowly, he unfolded the paper and began to read:

* * *

_Dear Lucas,_

_Normally, I would think longer and harder about a fitting goodbye present. But, because this goodbye came so suddenly, I went with the first idea that came to mind. So, please forgive me if this present isn't quite so creative._

_My present for you is the CD. I burned two songs on it. I don't think I ever told you this, but you have been like a little brother to me. I will never forget how much fun we had together and how often we've driven Commander Ford to the brink of madness._

_The first song on the CD is one that I'm sure you will remember fondly. Picking the second song was a lot harder. I wanted a song to help me say goodbye. But, unfortunately, I couldn't find a fitting one. But for god's sake I remembered this old song from the group Take That. The song is called "Never Forget". And those are the moste important words of the song. Never forget!_

_So, I hope you won't forget us and think back on us from time to time. The seaQuest won't be the same without you. We will all miss you!_

_And don't worry about the Vocorder. I promise you that I will not lay a hand on it. I'm sure that Dr. Westphalen will protect it like a lion does with her cubs. I believe that she is already planning a "supply and moral officer" alarm system._

_I hope that you will like your "new life" and will be happy._

_All The Best,_

_Ben_

* * *

Lucas stood up and took his discman out of his bag. Then he sat down again, put the CD inside, and pushed onto the PLAY button. When he heard the first words of the song, he began to smile.

* * *

This car could be automatic, systematic, hydromatic, why it's Greased Lightnin'

I'll get some overhead lifters and four-barrel quads, oh yeah

Keep talking whoa keep talking

A fuel-injection cut-off with chrome-plated rods, oh yeah

I'll get the money I'll kill to get the money

With a four-speed on the floor,

They'll be waitin' at the door

Ya know that ain't no shit when we're gettin' lots

Of tit in greased lightnin'

Go go go go

Go go go go

go go go go

Go greased lightnin'

You're burnin' up the quater mile

Greased lightnin', go greased lightnin' go

Go, greased lightnin', you're coastin'

through the heat lap trial

Greased lightnin', go greased lighnin'

You are supreme

The chicks'll cream

For greased lightnin'

Go go go go

Go go go go

I'll get sume purple frenched tail-lights

and thirty-inch fins, oh yeah

Wooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

A palomino dashboard and dual muffler

twins, oh yeah

Wooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

With new pistons, plugs and shocks

You can get off the rocks

Ya know I ain't a braggin'

She's a real pussy waggon

Greased lightnin

Go go go go

Go go go go

go go go go

Go, greased lightnin'

You're burnin' up the quater mile

Greased lightnin', go greased lightnin' go

Go greased lightnin', you're coastin'

through the heat lap trial

Greased lightnin, go greased lightnin'

You're supreme

The chicks'll cream

For greased lightnin'!

Go go go go

Go go go go

Go go go go

Why yuh

Go, greased lightnin'

You're burnin' up the quater mile

Greased lightnin', go greased lightnin' go

I said go greased lightnin', you're coastin'

through the heat lap trial

Greased lightnin', go greased lightnin'

You ar supreme

The chicks'll cream

For greased lightnin'!

Go go go go

Go go go go

Go go go go Go go go

Go greased lightnin'

Go greased lightnin', go

Go greased lightnin'

Go greased lightnin'

Go greased lightnin', go

Go greased lightnin'

Go greased lightnin'

Go greased lightnin', go

Go greased lightnin', oh, yeah, wow

Go greased ligthnin'

Go greased lightnin', go

Go go go  
Go greased lightnin',

You're burnin' up the quater mile

Greased lightnin', go greased lighnin' go

Go greased lightnin', you're coastin'

through the heat lap trial

Greased lightnin', go greased lightnin' go

You are supreme

The chicks'll cream

You ain't no shit  
Get lots of tit

You ain't braggin'

You're pussy waggon

I ain't a-braggin'

A pussy waggon

Ain't no shit

With lots of tit

you are supreme

The chicks'll cream

For greased lightnin' yeah For greased lightnin' yeah

For greased lightnin' yeah

For greased lightnin' lightnin'

Lightnin' lightnin' lightnin'

Lightnin'

Lightnin'

* * *

For someone who didn't belong to the senior crew of the seaQuest, this was just a regular song. The song "Greased Lightning" was from the movie "Grease". The film had been a big hit at the movies in 1978. The leading roles had been played by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. It was one of those movies who where there was a mix of story, singing, and dancing.

But for the senior crew, this movie, and especially this song, was something really special. And that was the fault of Commander Ford.

The senior crew were made it a point to get together and watch a movie one evening each week. One week, they had watched the movie "Grease". When the song "Greased Lightning" played, all the guys in the movie were at a garage with a bunch of mechanics. During the scene, they were singing and dancing, putting on a sort of "show."

Until that point, the commander had remained silently critical. But at this point, he exploded and ripped the movie apart. The whole story was totally unbelievable and the actors could only jump around like animals to the music! He also said that only "Dirty Dancing" could beat this movie as far as stupidity went.

The crew had been totally shocked at Ford's behaviour. They had never seen their forever stiff, cool, controlled, and disciplined commander losing it like that. They all knew that Ford loved ballet, and they thought that he would like dance movies as well.

The others had liked "Grease," and when they were honest with themselves, they had been truly amused about Jonathan's behaviour. After the movie was over, they never let the commander forget about it.

But for future movie nights, they didn't show any movies like "Saturday Night Fever," "Footloose," "West Side Story," "Flashdance," "A Chorus Line," "Center Stage," "Kick It With Mambo," or "Dirty Dancing." Better to be safe than sorry. But one evening, Commander Ford brought the movies "Center Stage" and "Billy Elliot" with him. He felt it was his duty to show the crew how good movies with dance could be.

But Benjamin Krieg and Lucas had kept the story of "Grease" alive. And because of that, the teenager just had to laugh when he heard the song.

Ben and Lucas had played a little joke on the commander. Ford always woke up to a clock radio. And after some of Krieg's "organization," Lucas programmed it in such a way that it would only play "Greased Lightning." But that wasn't the only thing they did...

When Ford was in the Meg-Lev, they made it so that the song would play over the speakers, like elevator music. The teenager had also programmed the speakers in the mess hall, again part of Ben's plan. They played "Greased Lightning" as background music during dinner, but only at such a volume that nobody, aside from Ford, would be bothered by it. That brought on an unexpected, but quite entertaining, side effect. Many people couldn't get the song out of their heads and were humming it all day. The commander just couldn't get away from it.

You could say that the first officer had been less than amused! But for Lt. Krieg and Lucas, it had been the best fun they had in a long time. Even now the teenager had to laugh about the things that Ben and he had done and the look on the commander's face.

After the song ended, the second one began.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004

* * *

I know that this chapter is a little bit strange, but when I was at this part of the story, I justed needed something happier. Plus, I like putting songs in fanfiction.

And, I have to say that I agree and disaggree with Commander Ford. I dissagree about "Grease." I like this movie. And I agree with him about "Dirty Dancing," it's really a stupid movie. The whole movie is just about one guy dancing and intellegent sentences like "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" and "I carried a watermelon." I think I have just made myself unpopular because it seems that nearly everybody I meet just loves "Dirty Dancing."


	21. Chapter 21

THE SECRET

Chapter 21

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: 

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

The song "Never Forget" belongs to the group "Take That".

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to dolphinology and kas for their reviews.

* * *

After the song ended, the second one began. 

_Been on this path of life for so long  
Feel I've walked a thousand miles  
Sometimes strolled hand in hand with love  
Everybody's been there  
With danger on my mind I would stay on the line of hope  
I knew I could make it  
Once I knew the boundaries I looked into the clouds and saw  
My face in the moonlight  
Just then I realized what a fool I could be  
Just cause I look so high I don't have to see me  
Finding a paradise wasn't easy but still  
There's a road going down the other side of this hill_

_Never forget where you've come here from  
Never pretend that it's all real  
Someday soon this will be someone else's dream_

_This will be someone else's dream_

_Been safe from the arms of disappointment for so long  
Feel each day we've come too far  
Yet each day seems to make much more  
Sure is good to be here  
I understand the meaning of 'I can't explain this feeling'  
Now it feels so unreal  
At night I see the hand that reminds me of the stand I make  
The fact of reality_

_Never forget where you've come here from  
Never pretend that it's all real  
Someday soon this will be someone else's dream_

_This will be someone else's dream_

_We've come so far and we've reached so high  
And we've looked each day and night in the eye  
And we're still so young and we hope for more  
But remember this  
We're not invincible, we're not invincible - no  
We're only people, we're only people  
Hey we're not invincible, we're not invincible  
So again I'll tell you_

_Never forget where you've come here from  
Never pretend that it's all real  
Someday soon this will be someone else's dream_

_This will be someone else's dream_

_Never forget where you've come here from  
Never pretend that it's all real  
Someday soon this will be someone else's dream_

_This will be someone else's dream_

_Never, everybody sing, oh babe  
Never, no never, never forget for love  
Someday, lalala…oh  
Never, everybody sing this song  
Never, nanana…  
Someday, come on, come on, everybody, everybody  
Everybody, everybody, everybody_

Lucas had never heard the song before, but he liked it. And he would never forget his friends on the seaQuest for sure. You could never in your whole life forget what you had deep down in your heart.

But the name, Take That, came to his mind. Sean's mother had kept a few teen magazines from her time in high school. Mrs. Richards had loaned the boys the magazines one time, and the two teenagers had read them and also made fun of them a bit. The whole thing had been a special kind of history lesson. Sometimes you could find out more about a generation of teenagers by reading their teen magazines than by reading history books.

The blond teenager could remember that Take That had been an English boy group that had been very successful from around 1991 to 1996. The group had been very, very popular, and for the first time in a long time the word "Beatlemania" had been used again. Concerts had to be interrupted because the fans had become too violent near the stage. It had just been unbelievable.

Robbie Williams, who had later become a big star, had also been a member of Take That. That was in the beginning, before he had been thrown out of the group. From that point on, the band had only had four members.

The last song where all five sang together was "Never Forget". Some time later, after the rest of the group had broken up, the fans took the song up as the goodbye song, and it stayed in the charts for a long time. The strange thing was that it hadn't really been the last song; other songs had followed this one. But the meaning of the lyrics and the two words "Never Forget" had just turned it into a goodbye song for the fans.

Lucas could even remember that two or three of the magazines had pictures with the "Never Forget Take That" slogan on them. Stickers with those four words had also been sold.

The end of Take That had created a lot of distress in some fans. The telephones at the student crisis center had been ringing off the hook. For many fans, their world had fallen apart. The most extreme reactions had even been suicidal.

When the song ended, the teenager took his headphones off and re-packed his discman into his bag.

Captain Bridger glanced over at the boy from the driver's seat when Lucas sat back down next to him in the co-pilot's seat. "What are you thinking about?"

The young man looked out at the ocean. "How much I will miss everybody." He took a short pause and then continued talking. "You know, I don't want to do this. Who knows where I will end up? I'm sure wherever it is I won't like it."

Nathan could understand, but he wanted to lift the the boy's spirits. "Maybe it will be better than you think."

The blond boy looked skeptically at the captain. "You really believe that?"

Bridger shrugged his shoulders. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. But look at this from this point of view: Did you want to go to the seaQuest at first?"

Lucas looked down and shook his head. "No."

"There, you see? And now you like it so much that you wish that you didn't have to go. Maybe the same thing will happen this time."

Now the teenager just shrugged his shoulders. "You could be right. But in any case, the whole lying thing will start again. I hate this! And I don't want to go away and leave all of you!"

Bridger observed the boy closely. "You sound like you want to stay on the seaQuest. My offer still stands; you can stay if that's what you truly want. We can still turn around. You just have to say it." And again, the captain was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He would give everything for Lucas to be able to stay with him, but on the other hand, he knew that the submarine was no longer safe enough for the young man. He could do nothing but accept the boy's decision, even though it would break his heart...

Lucas didn't need to think about what the captain had said. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to stay on the seaQuest. But it just wasn't possible. He would put the others in danger by doing that. The teenager shook his head. "No. I will leave the seaQuest..."

* * *

To Be Continued... 

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004

* * *

Information: 

In Chapter 20, Benjamin Krieg wrote that he had a problem finding a fitting song, but that's not really true. I was the one who had problems finding a good song for this situation. I wanted a song that I personally associate with goodbye but not with death. Otherwise, it wouldn't have worked for this story.

Because I'm an old Take That fan, I remebered the song "Never Forget." The information in this chapter about Take That is true. I also had a poster of the group with the slogan "Never Forget Take That" on my wall. And I'm sure that I still have the sticker with the words around here somewhere.

Two words from this song are very important for me: Never Forget! In addition to the part of the story that means that Lucas shouln't forget his friends on the seaQuest, there is also a second meaning, and the second meaning is really a part of my life. For me it says: "Never Forget Jonathan Brandis!" And I won't forget him.


	22. Chapter 22

THE SECRET

Chapter 22

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

****

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to Darkness Amber, dolphinology and jaydeangel73 for their Reviews. You made my day with your nice reviews.

* * *

At five minutes to 11:00, the shuttle docked at the harbor. Both passengers stood up and walked to the rear of the little submarine, but before the teenager could open the door, Captain Bridger held him back. "Wait a minute, Lucas."

The computer genius turned around and looked questioningly at Bridger. Nathan took a little box out of his pocket and held it out to the boy. "This is a goodbye present from Darwin and me. We were planning on giving it to you for your birthday, but I think now might be a better time."

Lucas took the little box in his hand. "Can I open it?"

The captain nodded. "Of course!" He hoped that this was the right present for the boy and that the teenager would be happy and not think it silly. After all, not everyone liked the same things.

The young man opened the box, and when he saw what was inside, he smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. "Wow!"

"Do you like it?"

Lucas nodded ethusiastically. "Are you kiding? This is wonderfull!" Carefully he took the necklace out of the box. The cord was something that looked like black leather, and there was a silver dolphin hanging on it. The teenager looked more closely at the dolphin. "Where did you find it? The dolphin looks just like Darwin; I would swear that it's him!"

Bridger smiled and nodded. "I certainly hope so. Because it was modeled after a picture of Darwin. The person who made it did a great job."

Lucas gave the captain a short but tight hug. "Thanks, Sir. This is the most incredible gift ever."

"I'm really glad that you like it. I thought that this way, you can always carry Darwin with you. Wherever you go." Nathan knew that the teenager and Darwin had a special relationship. A few crew members even called the dolphin "Lassie" for fun because most of the time Darwin followed Lucas like a dog. But it wasn't just one sided; the teenager said that the animal was his best friend.

A few times Darwin had come to Bridger because he wanted to swim with him. But when the captain didn't have time for it, he had suggested to the dolphin that he could ask the teenager instead. But more often than not, Darwin said that Lucas didn't have time either. Nathan had realised that he had become the dolphin's second choice of playmates. That was also something he had to learn to accept, but it was something he did without problems.

Bridger had often asked himself where Lucas' love of dolphins came from. Without an interest in them, he could never have invented the Vocorder. What had driven the 14 year old to develop a device to communicate with dolphins? Why had he never asked the teenager about it? Of coures now, it was too late.

Lucas put the necklace around his neck. Nathan looked at his watch, and groaned inwardly. "Now it's time to say goodbye."

The blond boy nodded sadly. "Yeah..."

"Maybe it's better if we say goodbye here. I'm sure that the FBI will take you away as fast as possible."

Lucas nodded.

They just hugged each other tightly to say goodbye. They didn't need any words to tell each other what they felt. They knew it without speaking.

After they let go of each other, Bridger opened the shuttle door. Nathan took the boy's heavier bag, and Lucas took the lighter one in his uninjured right hand. They stepped into the dazzling sunlinght and had to close their eyes for a moment. The artificial sunlight of the seaQuest could not prepare them for the real thing.

They were both were standing at the edge of the dock and looked around. Lucas put his bag down on the ground and pointed to the left where two middle-aged men were walking towards them. "That's Agent Andrews and one of his team members."

When the FBI agents were just 15 feet away, a gunshot could be heard. The bullet only missed the teenager and Bridger by a few inches, and Lucas had only one thought. Paul Shefield was here…

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	23. Chapter 23

**THE SECRET**

Chapter 23

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: 

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to kas, Darkness Amber, KatKnits00, dolphinology and jaydedangel73 for their reviews. You make me turn red with your nice words.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

When the FBI agents were just 15 feet away, a gunshot could be heard. The bullet only missed the teenager and Bridger by a few inches, and Lucas had only one thought. Paul Sheffield was here. 

The captain let Lucas' bag fall and acted quickly. There was nothing they could hide behind, and the shuttle was 5 feet behind them. That was too high a risk. Without thinking, he grabbed Lucas' elbow and dragged the boy with him to the edge of the dock. It was the only possibility to get out of the line of fire.

The fall into the water was between six and seven feet, and both made a splash as they hit.

The captain was the first to resurface. He looked around for the blond teen, panic slowly rising in his chest. He couldn't hear any of the shooting that was taking place between Paul Sheffield and the FBI agents. Nathan blocked everything out.

When a few seconds later Lucas still hadn't come up, Bridger felt the panic in him rising even more. The teenager couldn't really swim with the cast, and the weight of the wet clothes and cast would pull him down.

Nathan started to dive but couldn't see the boy anywhere. When Bridger came to the surface for some air, Lucas appeared next to him, snorting and sputtering. And he wasn't alone. Darwin was with him, and the teenager had his hand on the dolphin's fin, holding himself up with it. The animal had followed the shuttle without their noticing. Bridger couldn't have been happier to see him.

The captain looked worriedly at the boy. "Are you okay?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, thanks to Darwin. I only swallowed some water."

The dolphin was gabbling happily, but without the Vocorder, they couldn't tell what he was trying to say.

Suddenly, two faces appeared over the edge of the dock and looked down in the water. Agent Andrews was one of them.

"Are you both alright?" asked a man with black hair and a beard.

Bridger and Lucas looked up and nodded.

The FBI agent who had asked the question pointed to the right. "Swim in this direction. There's a place where boats can be put in the water, and you can probably climb out there."

Nathan, Lucas, and Darwin swam into the direction. During the swim, the captain always made sure that he kept a close eye on the teenager. But, it wasn't really necessary. Darwin had played with Lucas enough to know how he could help the teen to stay on the surface.

* * *

Some time later, Captain Nathan Bridger and Lucas Wolenczak of the seaQuest were wrapped in warm blankets and had solid ground under their feet again. Agent Andrews was standing beside them and told them that they had been able to capture Paul Sheffield during the shooting. 

Bridger looked around the harbour. There where a lot of FBI agents and policemen. This couldn't be purely chance. They had known that Sheffield would be here; they had used Lucas as bait. He felt anger rising in him.

The blond genius looked questioningly at Andrews. Water was dripping from his wet hair. "What will happen to Paul Sheffield?"

"He will be tried for five murders and one attempted murder. He'll never get out of prison again," said Andrews.

"Was I right about Ryan Taylor? Had he been in contact with Sheffield?"

The FBI agent nodded. "Yes. We immediately interrogated him, and he told us everything. We made a deal with him. This will make him look a little better at his own trial."

Bridger looked angrily at the man. "Deal? What deal? You set a trap for Sheffield and used Lucas as your bait! You risked his life! It was only luck that we didn't get hit!"

Andrews looked from the captain to Lucas. "Yes, that's right. I'm sorry if we put Andy's life at risk, but this was our only chance to catch Sheffield. It wouldn't have worked without Andy as a bait."

Captain Bridger wanted to say something to that when the blond teenager interrupted him. "What exactly do you mean by a deal? What did you work up with Taylor?"

"Ryan Taylor told us that he had contact with Sheffield but didn't know where he was. But, he did have a number where he could reach him. So we cooked this whole thing up together: He called Paul Sheffeld and told him that he had heard from the UEO that you were leaving the seaQuest and were going to meet us at the harbour at 11 o'clock. For our part, we promised Taylor that he would get off light. After all, we can't really punish someone for ratting someone out. But, we told Taylor that he was an accessory to attempted murder. It didn't take much to get him to cooperate with us."

As David spoke, and Lucas nodded in understanding. "I see. But how could you know for sure that Sheffield would show up here?"

"Oh, we couldn't be 100 sure of it, but we had a pretty good idea. This would have been the last real chance for him to try anything. As soon as you were in FBI custody you would have had a new identity and been living somewhere else. Sheffield would have to start looking for you all over again, and he didn't know how long it would take or if he would even find you. This was his last chance for a long time." Andrews mainly aimed his words at the teenager. The captain was giving him the creeps. Bridger looked like he wanted to strangle him. And that was understandable.

But Lucas was interested in something else. Plus, he wanted to change the subject because the captain didn't look too happy about everything. "So what will happen to me now?"

The FBI agent put his hands in his pockets and began feeling around for something. Suddenly he stopped and took a white envelope out of his left pocket. "I had nearly forgotten this." He held the envelope out to the teenager. "That's for you."

Lucas took it and looked at the envelope. One word had been written on it: "Andy." It was Sean's handwritting. The teenager looked questioningly at Andrews. His hands were shaking a little bit. "It's from Sean. Where...where did you get this?"

"Sean gave it to me after I met both of you. Your parents had just been killed. Sean gave me the letter and told me that I should give it to you if he was also killed. He was uneasy because of the whole thing and wasn't sure who would be the next. He meant that if he died, he wanted the chance to say goodbye to you, even if it was just in a letter," explained the FBI agent.

"Why didn't you give me the letter earlier," asked the teenager, his voice ringing with unspoken accusations.

"I'm really sorry about this, but I had forgotten about it. But yesterday, when I read the file again, it fell into my hands."

For some time the young man only looked silently at the envelope. No, he couldn't read the letter here. He wanted to read the letter when he was alone and nobody was looking over his shoulder. Then he looked at Andrews again. "You didn't answer my question. What will happen to me now?"

The FBI agent smiled. "You can have your old life back. We have Paul Sheffield, and so the witness protection program isn't necessary. You're free."

The teenager accepted this information and nodded thoughtfully. It was a strange feeling. If the whole thing had been just a movie, everybody would be happy now and the words "The End" would appear on the big screen. But this wasn't a movie, this was reality. How would it go on for him now? It really sounded nice to be able to get your old life back, but what would did that mean? His old life was a pile of broken fragments. His parents, his best friend Sean, and Mandy and John Richards were dead. What kind of life was that to go back to?

Because the young man remained silent, Andrews decided to continue speaking. "I think it's best if you sit down with me and a few other agents so we can talk everthing over." After all, he couldn't just leave the boy at the harbour. "Your bags are already packed, so we won't lose time with that."

Finally it was too much. This really blew Bridger's top. "You can't really be serious! How dare you! First, you try to make the fact that you used Lucas as bait seem completely harmless, and now you just want to nab him. Not with me around! As long as Lucas' future is unclear, I'm taking him back with me to the seaQuest! If you want something, you can call me there. You know the number." Nathan let the blanket fall from his shoulder's and took both of the teenager's bags in his hands. Then he looked at the boy. "Come on." And with that, he walked off toward the shuttle.

Lucas and Agent Andrews were both speechless. Bridger had made it a few feet in the direction of the shuttle. The teenager looked at the FBI agent for one last time, gave him the blanket that had been wrapped around him, and hurried to follow the captain.

* * *

When they had arrived at the shuttle, Bridger immediately powered up; he wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible. When they left the harbour, Nathan turned the autopilot on and set a course for the seaQuest. Then, he went to the hold of the little submarine. 

Lucas was packing his letter into a bag and was searching for something dry to wear. After all, he didn't want to spend the whole ride back to the boat in wet clothes. And if Dr. Westphalen saw him that way, he would be on the receiving end of a long speech. And with his luck, she would also give him a prolonged examination to make sure that he wasn't going to get sick. When the teen saw the captain walking towards him, he looked up.

Bridger looked at the boy questioningly. "What are my chances that there's something dry in your bag that would fit me?"

Lucas scrutinized the captain and tried to keep his expression serious. It was very, very difficult, and finally, the teenager burst out laughing. It didn't take long and Bridger's laughter joined his.

* * *

To Be Continued... 

Written December 2003 / Translated Summer 2004


	24. Chapter 24

THE SECRET

Chapter 24

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

****

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to Darkness Amber, KatKnits00, dolphinology and jaydeangel73 for their Reviews.

KatKnits00: Thanks for your Review! I think it is normal and good that Bridger is angry, I know I would be it when somebody would use one of my friends or family members as a bait without telling it.

dolphinology: Thanks for your Review! What I wrote was unexpected? Cool, thanks, I like doing the unexpected. Writing the end of the chapter was fun.

Darkness Amber and Jaydedangel73: Thanks for the Reviews! Both were really entertaining to read! I like to thank the people who are reviewing, because the Reviews really mean a lot to me.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

A few hours later, Lucas was sitting alone on the bed in his cabin. He was thinking.

The others had welcomed him and the captain back with an enthusiastic "hello." They had been really happy to see the teen again and to hear that Paul Sheffied had been arrested. Benjamin Krieg had also found it a good opportunity to take a photo of Bridger in Lucas' clothes. The whole thing had really looked strange.

But that wasn't what the teenager was thinking about. His thought were focused on his future. What should he do with his life? Where should he go now? Yesterday he had told everyone that he wanted to stay on the seaQuest. He still wanted to; but, his whole situation was different.

Yesterday he had been able to say that because if he had stayed, it would still be a part of the witness protection program. But the program was over for him now. What was it that Andrews had said? He was free. Yes, that was what the agent had said. But what would this freedom mean?

Did it mean that he had to leave the seaQuest because he didn't _have _to stay here anymore? The FBI, together with Admiral Noyce, had created a position on the seaQuest especially for him. What if, with the end of the witness protection program, that position no longer existed? The UEO wouldn't like a 14-year old being on a submarine without some really good reason.

The computer genius wanted to stay on the seaQuest. He had found a new home here and new friends. He didn't want to loose them. Lucas thought about talking to the captain about everything. Bridger always had an ear ready to listen to him, and Bridger gave him the feeling that he liked the young man as much as he liked the captain. Yes, maybe he should talk it all over with Bridger. But, not before he cleared a few things up.

* * *

Captain Bridger stood in front of the Vidphone in his cabin and turned it off. He had just spoken with Agent Andrews to clarify a few things.

Now, Nathan wanted to take control of the whole thing with his own two hands. He'd had an idea floating around in his head ever since he had heared that Lucas wasn't really Lucas Wolenczak. Until this morning, he had tried not to think about it , but now he couldn't keep his thoughts suppressed. After all, the teenager didn't need to hide anymore. And he also needed someone who would care for him; at the moment the boy was all alone.

It was only because of the witness protection program that the Wolenczaks had had custody, so that they would look like a real family. But that was over now. Someone else had to be become Lucas' guardian or get the custody of the boy. And Bridger wanted to be that someone.

Nathan went to his computer and turned it on. Before he went and asked someone about gaining custody, he wanted to do a bit of research so he'd know a little more about it. The captain went through a search engine and found a Web site for legal information. The site had also had a little search box. He clicked in the box and typed the word "guardianship"in it.

After a few seconds, a list of links to different sections of a law book appeared. Nathan clicked on the first one: **BGB §1778 Prerequisite for guardianship: **(_1) A minor gets a guardian if he isn't currently under parental care._

Captain Bridger thought about that part. Lucas fulfilled that prerequisite; his parents were dead, so there was no parental care. And because of that, the boy had to get a guardian.

Nathan went to back to the search engine. He didn't want to become the teen's guardian. He wanted something else. He typed in the word "adoption."

Again, a list of links appeared on the screen. Bridger skimmed over the different topics and clicked on different points of interest.

**SGB VIII & 1:** _(1)Every young person has a right to an education._

And that was somthing that Lucas wasn't getting at the moment. At least, not the kind of education that law was talking about. Bridger clicked on the next link.

**AdVermiG & 1 Adoption- employment:** _Adoption employment is the bringing together of children under 18 years of age and persons who want to gain custody of the child (adoption-applicant) with the aim of adopting the child._

Bridger nodded in satisfaction. Now he was getting some of the basics. The law was speaking for the most part about gaining custody of a child, not adopting.

**AdVermiG § 7 Preparation of employment...**

This section was about the fact that an adoption-applicant had to be checked out carefully by a special team of people before the applicant could gain custody a child. Bridger thought that this was something that went without saying. After all, you couldn't immediately let someone adopt a child. Some things had to be checked out first.

Again, the captain changed his search. This time he typed in "gaining custody of a minor." Like the last couple of times, several links appeared on the computer screen.

**BGB § 1741 Granting of custody:** (_1) Custody of a child is granted if it is in the child's best interest, and it can be expected that in the granting of custody, a parent-child relationship will develope. (2) Unmarried adoption-applicants are eligible to take sole custody of a child._

Bridger was sure that he fulfilled the first part. The adoption would be in Lucas' best interest, and their relationship was already very good and close. The teen was like a son to him. The second section calmed Bridger a bit. He had feared that he couldn't adopt the boy because he wasn't married. But luckily, he was still eligible.

**BGB § 1743 Minimum age:**_ The adoption-applicant must be at least 25 years of age._

The captain smiled. It had been quite some time since he had seen 25, so there would be no problem there.

**BGB § 1744 Probationary period:** _Custody should be allowed after the child had been in the care of adoption-applicant for a fitting time._

That sounded sensible. You could never tell beforehand how a relationship would develop. Maybe they could speed up the process a bit in Lucas' case. After all, Bridger and Lucas were both already living on the seaQuest and knew each very well other.

**BgB § 1757 Name of the child:**_ (1) The child takes as his or her name the family name of the adoption-applicant gaining custody._

That meant that Lucas' last name would be changed to Bridger. But, maybe the young man didn't want that. Maybe he wanted to keep his last name Braun. Bridger read a few more paragraphs, the first stating that Nathan had to submit a special application if he wanted to adopt, and the second about what would happen after his application was submitted.

Finally, the captin clicked on the last link, already imagining that this would be the most difficult.

**BGB § 1746 Agreement of the child:** (_1) To gain custody of a child, the consent of the child is necesary..._

Bridger turned his computer off and leaned back in his chair. He had done his bit of research and knew that it might be possible to adopt Lucas. But what if the teenager didn't want that? Who knew what the boy had planned for his future? Whatever his plans were, they might not include an old captain. Now the whole world was open to the young man. He wasn't limited by the witness protection program any longer. But Bridger couldn't find out the answer unless he asked the teenager.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Written December 2003 / Translated 2004

* * *

Information:

I have written a few seaQuest stories on the topic adoption. Although I knew a little bit about this subject because of my job training, I have never gone into detail. So, I decided to do it a little more in this chapter.

I have no idea about the law in the States, so I decided to use the German law. But, the law is something that is always changing, and I have no idea what it will be like in 2018. I hope that I have not bored anyone with the legal jargon.

The legal information is out of a book called "Jugendrecht-25 Auflage 2003" ("Youthlaw – 25th Edition, 2003") from DTV Publishing. I hope that I haven't made any mistakes with those sections (like I said, I just know about this a little bit because of my job training). I haven't studied law.

Translating those sections was very difficult because in 9 times out of 10, I couldn't find the words I needed in the dictonary. So, I used words with similar meanings. If some parts sounds strange, that's the reason.


	25. Chapter 25

THE SECRET

Chapter 25

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

****

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to dolphinology for the Review.

dolphinology: Thanks for your Review! I really feared that others would find the law parts boring.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Lucas knocked on the captain's door.

"Come in!" came the captain's voice from the inside of the cabin.

The teenager opened the door and closed it behind him. Nathan Bridger looked up from the paper he had just been studying. "Lucas! I'm glad that you're here; I wanted to talk to you." He pointed to a chair opposite him. "Sit down, please."

The young man sat down. "What did you want to me talk about?"

"I'll tell you in a few minutes, but first, you can tell me why you came here." The boy was silent for a moment. "I think you came because you wanted to talk to me too. I don't remember us having a date to play chess," Bridger said with a smile.

The teenager nodded. "You're right, I haven't come to play chess. You know, I was thinking about a few things. I wanted to know if I can still stay on the seaQuest."

Nathan nodded. "Of course, why would you think that you couldn't stay here?"

Lucas shrugged. "I thought that since I'm no longer in the witness protection program there wouldn't be a place here for me anymore."

The captain shook his head. "You've earned your place on the seaQuest. You are our Chief Computer Analyst, and don't forget about the Vocorder. If you decided to stay here, we would all be very happy. If not, we'll have to look for sombody who can fill your position. But that would be nearly impossible. Where could we find such a genius? It's entirely your decision, of course, you can stay or go. But to tell you the truth, I would like it very much if you would stay."

"Hey, if I'm allowed to stay, then of course I'm going to. How could you even think that I would want to leave?" said Lucas. He paused a moment. "You said that you wanted to talk to me about something."

Bridger immediately tensed. How would the teenager react to this? He glanced at the Application for Adoption that was lying on the desk in front of him. He had received the application by e-mail 10 minutes ago, and he had printed it out. Nathan took a pen and wrote something in two little boxes. The first box was for the name of the person who wanted to adopt the child, and the other box was for the name of the child.

Than he took the paper and laid it down in front of the teen. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." The butterflies in his stomach were multiplying rapidly. How would the boy react?

Lucas took the paper in his hands and read it. He stopped a moment; then, he took the pen that Bridger had just used and signed his name on the application. He gave the application back to the captain and smiled. "Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"

The older man nodded. "Yes, I know." He wanted to ask the question personally, to make sure that he had unterstood what the young man meant by signing. "You agree to the adoption?"

The computer genius nodded. "You know, I know that I need someone to become my guardian or take custody of me, and if you want to adopt me, I would be thrilled."

Bridger smiled widely. "Good. Then I will send all the applications and information on their way."

* * *

Later, Lucas went back to his cabin. He was glad that his future was clear now, and he was happy that Bridger had presented him with the idea of adoption. The teenager would have never had the courage to bring up something like that himself. He had thought about it before, and he knew that he needed someone to take care of him because of his age. He had even thought about asking Bridger about it, but he couldn't work up the courage to do it.

The teenager opened the door to his cabin and closed it behind him. His eyes fell on the white envelope that was lying on his table. It was the letter from Sean. The young man picked it up off the table and sat down with it on his bed. He stared thoughtfully at the letter for a few moments. Finally, he opened the envelope; he was now so used to his cast that it was no problem. He took the sheet of paper out of the envelope and began to read:

* * *

_Hi Andy,_

_Writing this letter feels really strange. I'm alive, but I know that when you read this I won't be. I decided to write this letter so that I would have the chance to say goodbye to you if something happens to me. I know that it sounds strange, but I'll regret it if I don't get to say goodbye. In any case, I hope that this letter won't be necessary and that I can throw it away._

_You know how I have always enjoyed our "computer hours". But, I think with our hack into Sheffield & Co., we've bitten off more than we can chew. Your parents are dead, and who knows who will be next. The whole thing is just too big for us. Nevertheless, and you can really believe me when I say this, I don't for a moment regret going to the police. It was the right decision! We had to report them!_

_I know that you blame yourself for your parents' deaths. Don't. It's really not your fault. And if something happens to me, it's also not your fault! So don't torture yourself with feelings of guilt, and I know you'll want to because I know you too well. That wouldn't do anything; it wouldn't change anything or make it go away. You'll only destroy yourself that way._

_We both made the decision to hack into Sheffield & Co. We both decided, and you have to accept it! We have been best friends since kindergarten, and even death can't change that. Think from time to time about all the fun we had together. What you have deep in your heart can't be taken away by death._

_Don't lose yourself in your grief. Do something that will bring you happiness and not isolation. Do something!_

_Sean_

_"It's the same as for the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, then it's good, at night, to look up at the sky. All the stars are blossoming… When you look up at the sky at night, since I'll be living on one of them, since I'll be laughing on one of them, for you it'll be as if all the stars are laughing. You'll have stars that can laugh!… And when you're consoled (everyone eventually is consoled), you'll be glad you've known me… And it'll be as if I had given you, instead of stars, a lot of tiny bells that know how to laugh…_

_(Antoine De Saint-Exupéry - "The Little Prince")_

* * *

Lucas put the letter down as the tears ran down his face. Carefully, he put the letter back in the envelope. Then, he stood up and put it in a drawer. It was like Sean had known exactly the right words to say. To the young man's surprise, he felt a little bit better, even though all of his grief had surfaced again.

* * *

To Be Continued... in two more chapters

Written December 2003 / Translated 2004


	26. Chapter 26

THE SECRET

Chapter 26

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: 

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial "Thank You" goes to me wonderful beta reader Jackie and to KatKnits00 and dolphinology for the Reviews.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

Half an hour later, Lucas was walking through the corridors of the seaQuest. Sean had written that he shouldn't lose himself in his grief and that he should do something. And that was exactly what the teenager wanted to do now. 

The blond boy had just been to the Moon Pool in search of Darwin, but the dolphin hadn't been there because he was out eating in the ocean. So now the computer genius decided to visit someone else. He just hoped that this someone else was there and had time for him.

When Lucas arrived at he cabin, he knocked at the door. "Come on inside!" called the friendly voice of Benjamin Krieg. The young man stepped inside.

The lieutenant was sitting on the floor in front of his computer, filling out order forms. There was no space on the table. The boy looked around the cabin for a moment. Why was everyone always telling him that he should clean his room. Ben's cabin looked a hundred times messier than his! The next time someone told him that his cabin was in chaos, he would just send them to the room of the supply and moral officer. Maybe then they wouldn't bother him anymore.

Lucas sat down on the only free chair and looked questioningly at Ben. "What's up? Anything new around here?"

"Nope, unfortunately nothing!" said the man with the dark hair. He noticed that the teen looked like he had been crying, but he said nothing about it.

The boy nodded. "Oh, by the way, thanks for the CD!"

Krieg shrugged his shoulders. "No problem." His eyes were on the computer screen.

The young man let his eyes wander around in the cabin. Then he made the casual comment, "By the way, Bridger wants to adopt me."

The lieutenant almost jumped and stared at the boy in surprise. "What?"

Lucas smiled. "I said that Bridger wants to adopt me. Maybe you should let Dr. Westphalen take a look at your ears. Seems that you have a few problems there. The captain and I just filled out the adoption application and a few other papers and have sent them away."

"Wow!" was the first thing that came to Ben's mind. "Congratulations! The captain as a father. Oh my... that means that I'm going to have to behave a bit more in the future."

The teenager was slightly confused. "Why?"

"I'm sure that the captain wouldn't like it too much if I got his new son in some kind of trouble," Krieg said seriously. "I got the first one in enough trouble back at the Academy."

Lucas smiled. "You'll never manage! I can guarantee that in at least one week, we will be working in the kitchen because of one of your crackpot ideas."

The moral officer was also smiling wickedly. "I know!" Then he realized what the boy had just said. "Hey, who says that it will be my idea?"

The young man shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Ben, most of the time it's your idea!"

Krieg made a face. "Okay, maybe there is a little bit truth in that." Suddenly his eyes lit up. "We have to celebrate this whole thing! It will be a big party! We have to celebrate that your are back, that Sheffield has been arrested, and that Bridger is adopting you. This party will go down in history."

The blond boy gave the lieutenant a dark look. "Ben, I'm warning you now, I don't want a party!"

Krieg pouted. "But why not?"

"Because I don't like big parties, and I don't want to be the one who cleans up after it." The teenager observed the adult closely. "Promise me that you won't have a party."

Ben groaned, "Okay, I promise." But at the same time he was planning the party in his head. He had only promised that he wouldn't be the one who organized it. After all, the young man hadn't said anything about Miguel or Tim. Krieg knew that he could get those two to help him to plan the thing. Where there was a will, there was a way. "But we have to do something!"

"Like what?" asked Lucas.

Krieg thought for a moment, then he bagan to smile. "When was the last time the commander was woken up by his favorite music?"

Lucas shrugged and put on his most innocent face. "I don't know. But I'm sure that he misses his favorite song, "Greased Lightnin," a lot!"

* * *

To Be Continued... In Only one more chapter. 

Written December 2003 / Translated 2004


	27. Chapter 27 Epiloge

THE SECRET

Chapter 27 - Epilogue

By Kiddo

**_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_**

* * *

****

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

* * *

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.

A spezial **"Thank You" **goes to me wonderful beta reader **Jackie **and to KatKnits00, dolphinology and jaydedangel73 for their reviews.

KatKnits00: In my imagination Ford was really happy to hear that song again ;-) and I think nobody can keep Ben from making a party too big!

dolphinology: Thanks!

Jaydedangel73: Thanks! Yes, this is the last chapter. But I think you will be happy to hear that I have already started to translate one of my other german stories. The name will probably be "A Question Of Trust". But I have no idea how long everything will take. I really have a lot to do at the moment and I'm also sick.

Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.

* * *

A little more than a month later, Captain Bridger and Lucas were in Florida in the little flat where the teen had lived with his parents in another life. As they had hoped, the adoption had gone smoothly. But, everyone kept calling the teenager Lucas. They had gotten to know him by that name, so for them, he just stayed Lucas. The boy had no problems with that because he had never really liked the name Andy.

The former flat of the Brauns was on the fourth floor of a high-rise building. There was a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom, a living room, a hall, and a kid's room. Every room seemed so small. At the moment, Bridger and his new son were sorting through the things in the flat. Lucas was deciding which things could be thrown away and which ones he would take with him to Brider's island.

Things he was keeping got yellow stickers; the others got red ones. A moving company would take care of everything later and bring the things with the yellow stickers to the island and throw the other things away. Most things had gotten red dots, but in the hall there were three big boxes of things that the teenager wanted to keep, like photo albums.

The last room Bridger and Lucas went into was the teenager's room. Nathan looked around in the little room. The walls were painted in a light blue, and in front of the window stood a desk with a chair. On one wall there was a wardrobe and on the opposite wall a shelf. Along the fourth wall was Lucas' bed. In one corner of the room there was an old TV. There were posters on the walls of sport stars, musicians, and different movies. But over the bed, there was only one big poster that had dolphins on it.

Th young man took two empty boxes and stuck a yellow sticker on the first and a red sticker on the second. Then, he began to take things out of his desk and off the shelf. Some things landed in the yellow-sticker box and the others in the red-sticker box.

Shortly after, the teenager stopped clearing out the desk and shelf and started putting yellow stickers on the furniture. After that, he went to his wardrobe and opened it with a shake of his head. He took a few pieces of clothing out and put them into the box with the yellow sticker. Then, he took two big bags and gave them to Bridger. "Can you put the rest of the clothes in these?"

Nathan raised his eyebrows questioningly. "You don't want to keep any of these?"

The computer genius laughed. "Yeah, it's been over half a year since I've worn any of this, and I've grown quite a bit since then. The clothes won't fit me anymore. I'm just keeping the things that will probably still fit me."

Bridger smiled. "Alright, I didn't think of that." Then he began to pack the clothes into the bags.

By the time Nathan was finished with the clothing, Lucas had most of the things in his old room sorted out. Even the posters had been taken down. The captain's gaze fell on the TV. On top of it was a framed photo. The picture had been taken from the beach, and Lucas was in the water swimming next to another teenager. Bridger guessed that it was Sean. But the boys weren't the only ones in the picture. Three dolphins were swimming close to them and looked like they were playing with them.

Lucas moved over next to the captain and took the photo in his hands, smiling. "Is this Sean?" asked Nathan and pointed to the picture.

The young man nodded. "Yeah, the Richards often drove to the beach on the weekends, and most of the time they invited me to come with them. It was always a lot of fun, and nearly every time the dolphins would be there."

"Is that where you got your love of dolphins?"

The teenager shook his head. "I've always been interested in dolphins. They have always been fascinating and intriguing. But there, at that beach, was the first time I ever saw them close up. We often swam and played together. It was so cool! I wanted to know what the dolphins were saying and thinking, so I began to develop the Vocorder. Without the dolphins from that beach, I wouldn't have done it, or at least not as early." Lucas took the picture and put it in his bag, where he put everything he wanted to take with him to the seaQuest.

The young man looked around his room one last time; they were ready now.

Together they went to the front door. Suddenly, the teenager stopped. "Wait, I forgot something." He ran back to the living room, Bridger following him at a normal speed.

The boy opened a cabinet and took a book out.

"What is that?" asked Nathan.

Lucas held the book up so that the older man could see it. "'The Lord of The Rings.' It belonged to my parents. This is a very special edition." He stroked the cover of the book carefully. "Do you remember the film versions?"

The captain nodded. "Of course. You don't forget something like that in a hurry. What is so special about this edition?"

The young man opened to a particular page. There was a picture of Elijah Wood, who had played Frodo in the movies. But that wasn't the only thing on the page; there was an original autograph from the actor under the picture. "In this book, there is a picture of every actor in a leading role and the important supporting roles. But, that's not what's special. My parents were big 'Lord of The Rings' fans. They got the autograph of every actor that has a picture in this book on their the photo."

"Wow!" was the only think that Bridger could say to this.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, they always said that they would give me the book one day as a present. Do you think that they wouldn't like it if I take this without them giving it to me?"

Captain Bridger shook his head and smiled warmly. "Of course not. After all, they wanted to give it to you."

Carefully, the teen put the book in his bag. Then he turned to Nathan. "We can go now."

Bridger put his arm around the boy's shoulder. Together, they went to the door of the flat.

At the door, the young man turned around for the last time. Then, they left the flat.

With a faint clicking sound, the door closed behind Lucas and Bridger. The teenager had the feeling that with that click, one chapter of his life had closed. Andy Lucas Braun didn't exist anymore, but now there was a Lucas Andy Bridger. He didn't have to deny his existence and hide his old life; it would always be a part of him.

**THE END**

Written January 2004 / Translated Summer 2004

* * *

The message about Jonathan Brandis' death shocked me. He had been my absolutely favourite actor for years, and he always will be. I still have his posters on my walls even though I should be past that age.

I have never met him in person, but nevertheless, he holds a special place in my heart.  
The moment he became my favourite actor and the moment I heard of his death will always stay in my memory.

His death makes me very sad and thoughtful. You really have to feel awful when you think that suicide is the only way out. My sympathy is with his parents, family, friends and fans.

I will never forget you, and I can only hope that you have found peace in death.

I miss you!

* * *

When I got the message about Jonathan Brandis' death, the first 13 pages were already written. I stopped writing for a month. After that, I decided to continue with writing.

The concept for the story had been totally planned out in my head during the summer holidays, and I decided to write the story the way I had planned it. But, while writing it, I realized that I couldn't do it anymore. I discovered that there were a lot of un-planned scenes that made their way into the story.

I personally have a feeling that when you read the story, you notice the point where I took a break from writing. The story took on a different tone because of Jonathan Brandis' death. I also think that everything I wrote after the break is not as good and interesting as the first part. But, I could also be totally wrong and just hope that I haven't lost my writing ability. Anyway, I hope you like the story.

For me, writing this story was a way for remembering Jonathan. I tried not to let it get too sad and included a few happy parts because when I think of Jonathan Brandis, I don't only have sad memories. Most are beautiful and happy and show me what a fantastic actor he was, and I want to remember him in the good moments.


End file.
